Percy Jackson and the Lost Trident
by lanarrateur
Summary: Poseidon's trident is compromised and chaos is stirring in the seas. Percy Jackson is now in charge of bringing the trident home and restoring the power of the seas in a quest with his friends to once again, save the world.
1. Chapter1

**Normality is a Fantasy**

"My fellow gods!" The god bellowed into the lengthy room where hundreds of gods sat with a feast in front of them.

Two gods stood beside him, one with striking green eyes and fair raven black hair and one with black stone eyes and silky black hair.

"This night we gather in celebration for the end of Kronos' tyranny among us gods!" The god said raising his goblet.

The room roared with applause and speech.

The god put his hand up for silence and the room became quiet again.

"Now, this deed was not done only by my hands but by the hands of my brothers too, and who I present to you tonight, the gods that will govern Olympus with myself and the Earth itself!" The room applauded again as the god signaled to the side and accordingly, three cyclopes followed onto the steps where the gods stood, one standing in front of each with a beaming object under wraps.

"I present to you, Hades! King of the Underworld, the dead, and the Earth's riches!" The god said as the cyclops in front of Hades unwrapped the beaming object and bowed before handing it to Hades.

It was Helmet, a helmet that beamed with darkness and brought shadows temporarily into the room.

Hades stepped up grabbing the helmet and smiled mischievously.

"Poseidon! God of the Seas, and Earthshaker!" The god said as his object was unwrapped revealing a silver trident that gleamed with power, its center was a rose quartz.

Poseidon gave a bright smile then winked out the crowd earning some sighs from the goddesses, and some gods. He then grabbed grabbed his trident and swung it and implanted it into the ground providing the room with sea smell, the rose quartz gleamed.

"And finally, I, Zeus, your King of Olympus, God of The Sky, Ruler of All Creatures under Helios' gaze!" Zeus said proudly as his object was unwrapped showing a blinding lightning bolt.

Zeus grabbed it and held it up to the sky and it tumbled with thunder and lightning not letting its sounds cover up the loud applause in the room.

The lightning bolt blinded the room with light as Zeus stood proudly holding it but there was something brighter.

In Poseidon's hand the Trident gleamed. It's brightness overtook the room blinding everything in its sight until there was only white.

I jumped up from my bed.

Demigod dreams were a normal occurrence but this wasn't like most. It was about my dad and Zeus and Hades.

And what was the light.

That light had gave me a banging headache but it was a nice change from the Tartarus nightmares.

I sat up fully and jumped out of my bed and stretched.

Today was the last day of summer,after this I would be in senior year with Annabeth learning about gods know what but at least it would be with Annabeth.

There was a knock on my door and I groggily made my way to it.

I opened to reveal Annabeth.

I suddenly felt a lot less groggy.

"Hey sleepyhead." she said amused at my sleepy state.

"Meet me out at the beach in 20?" She question but I knew it wasn't a question. Just Annabeth being polite.

"Yeah sure, but." Percy said when she started to turn around.

"Kiss until then?" I said with a smile.

Annabeth scrunched up her nose.

"With your morning breath? I don't think so." she said giggling.

"See ya Seaweed Brain."

"Until then Wise Girl!" I said mockingly before closing the door.

I took a brief shower,brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and made my way to the beach.

"Hey sir!" a familiar voice said as I was walking.

I turned to see Ben,son of Hecate.

"Hey Ben, how's it going?" I said as Ben came to my side.

1 year ago before the war I was in LA when I stumbled across the 9 year old about to be eaten by a very hungry hellhound along with his sister Ariaand saved their ife. Ever since then he was stuck to my hip.

Yippee.

"Very good sir, I've been practicing on my magic and that hasn't been going so well.." he said looking down.

"But I'm working everyday because I know someday I can become a hero, like you." He said brightly with a toothy smile and dark brown eyes full of admiration.

I stopped.

"Hey, listen to me Ben, don't ever rush to be a hero. In fact, you should hope that you never have to become one, because if we don't need heroes that means the world is safe, you get what I'm saying?"

Ben nods his head hesitantly.

"Benito! Stop bothering Percy! Get up here!"his sister Aria yelled down the hill

Ben rolled his.

I laughed lightly.

"Go ahead and get up there before your sister curses you" I said patting him on the back.

He nodded but turned once again.

"Will you teach me how to sword fight?" he asked hopefully.

I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Ok fine, but go up to your sister. I'll see you later, 'kay?"

He nodded gleefully and ran up the hill.

I waved at Aria and she waved back nervously before dragging her brother back to their cabin.

I turned around and made by way to the beach.

Once I got there, I saw Annabeth sitting, staring off into the sea, and her hair flowing perfectly with the wind.

She turned her head towards me sensing my presence and waved me over.

I walked to her and sat down.

"I'm beginning to think that the watch Tyson gave you is only on for decoration and weaponization." Annabeth said smirking.

" Sorry, got held up with Ben, kids these days." I said rolling my eyes playfully as she laughed.

She put her head on my shoulder as we faced the sea.

"Kids always seems like a fantasy for demigods y'know?" Annabeth said.

"Yeah." I breathed out.

"But with a place like New Rome and no more great prophecies it does seem a lot easier don't you think?" she questioned.

This conversation could go several different ways.

One, she could announce she's pregnant which would be impossible because we hadn't.. y'know.

Two, well I didn't know what two or three was

"I'm not announcing my impossible pregnancy Seaweed Brain." she said sitting up as I had a sigh of relief.

"Oh." I said as she rolled her eyes.

"Then what are you trying to say then?" I asked.

"Im just.." Annabeth folded her legs back and propped herself up.

"I'm just thinking of the future.. our future, now that we're finally at a time where there's know prophecy of the world ending of our impending death.. I want to make sure that there's an actual _us_, that we're not just together because of all we've been through and that we know no other life." She said staring off into the distance.

Oh.

"Annabeth." she looked at me with hopefulness.

" There is no other life without you in it." I said smiling.

She returned the smile.

"Smooth Seaweed Brain." she said as she came closer and leaned in for a kiss.

I had no objection as I returned the kiss and it soon turned into a full make out session.

Annabeth giggled as I rolled her over so I'm on top, her stormy grey eyes were bright with happiness.

"Gods I love you Wise Girl." I said as she smiled.

" I love you too Percy." She said meaningfully.

My smiled widened but disappeared as I felt something in the pit of my stomach.

"Percy what's wrong?" Annabeth asked worriedly as I stood up and reached for Riptide.

"Somethings wrong.. In the water, I can feel it,you need to leave."

"No way!" Annabeth said stubbornly.

The water was as calm as ever but it was too calm,there were no mermaids or no naids nor was there a current.I looked at the water closely and from a distance I could see something there,something big and quick that was heading right to the coast.I uncapped Riptide waiting for the worst.

"Annabeth go back up!"I _thing_ was approaching even faster heading straight towards me and my grip on Riptide tightened.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" She said defiantly.

"Annabeth leave _now!"_I said as the _thing_ was only a few feet away from the coast but before it could leave the water it did a swift turn heading right for Annabeth.

I didn't get a good looked at the _thing_,all I could do was leap in from of Annabeth as the thing dragged me into the water,pain erupted all throughout my body as I heard Annabeth crying and screaming my name out as my eyelids were heavy and before I could close my eyes while sinking into the water.

* * *

Fire blazed in the cave with the rhythmic sound of metal clanking under the hammers that the blacksmiths held.

A young god walked in,and stood and radiated with power.

"King Zeus! We are blessed with your presents! How is Poseidon's trident? I made it myself so he'd have the best from us Telchines!" One of the blacksmiths said aloud greeting Zeus.

He had raven black hair and ocean blue eyes that gleamed with pride, he stood with golden bracelets that represented his regalness, making him a king.

"Poseidon is deeply satisfied with your work Atreo,and the gods thank you for your cooperation against my father Kronos. I repay you with your lives." Zeus said as the telchines applauded with glee.

Atreo smiles and bowed.

"We are great fun for your mercy my King and we-"

"However," Zeus interrupted as Atreo looked up from his bow with fear.

"Your skill sets have been a nuisance and are far too powerful to go unchecked.." Zeus said looking down at Atreo.

Atreo gulped.

"Which is why will only serve you now Lord Zeus… you are the true king of Olympus."Atreo responded nervously.

"Your loyalty would be refreshing… if only it wasn't as inconsistent, considering how quickly you betrayed my father after years of servitude."Zeus said walking around the Telchinite.

"What are you saying Lord Zeus.." Atreo said with uneasiness.

Zeus turns to Atreo.

"King Atreo of the Telchiniae, I banish thee and your kind to the seas and to ensure your skill set is never used to harm again, I turn your kind into vicious sea creatures so you'll never return to your craft again! And as for you Atreo.." Zeus said as Atreo looked up at him with fear.

"The bracelets that you wear to show your power as if you had any," Zeus said with spitefulness as he grabbed both of Atreo' s wrist where the bracelets lied.

The telchine cried in pain as his bracelets burned his skin.

"they are now your shackles, so like the rest of your kind you may never create again but you, you will keep your form and you are forced to wander the earth for all eternity with mortals and let that be a reminder to how little you are in comparison to us gods!" Zeus said releasing Atreo from his grip.

Zeus then walked away leaving Atreo screaming in pain and his subjects deforming into monstrous creatures.

"You will pay Zeus! All you gods! I will find away and on my immortal soul you will pay!" Atreo declared as the cave dissolved into fire.

My eyes opened as I let out a quick breath.

These dreams.. were they connected? And why was I having them.

"The prince!"

"The prince is awake!"

I heard hushed whispers as I came out of my dazed state and sat up.

"Where am I?"I mumbled weakly.

"You are in Master's castle."a voice said,my head turnly slowed to see a sea nymph with flowing green hair and one eye yellow and one eye green.

"We found you unconscious sinking into the depths,it was a great honor saving you my prince."she said looking down blushing.

"Master?" I said confused.

"King Poseidon of course!" the nymph said.

"Dad!" I said jumping up.

"I need to speak with Poseidon, if you could bring me to him er-"

"Fiona M'lord." she said curtsying.

"Right, um Fiona, could you please?"

"Yes of course my Prince, please follow me."

* * *

Mermaids,nymphs, and other sea creatures passed me and Fiona by but not before doing a brief pause and bowing to me or mumble something from a distance.

"Fiona, what's the deal with everyone acting all weirdly around me, they know who I am." I asked Fiona.

"Well you are a prince M'lord." Fiona said.

"Percy."

"Pardon me?"

"Just call me Percy."

"Oh!" Fiona said blushing. "If you desire so er..Percy."

"And I know Poseidon's my dad and all but I've never been properly declared as a prince or anything." I said as we turned the coroner.

"Well,not yet" Fiona said quietly.

"Wait what? What do you mean not yet?"

Fiona squirmed, "It's not my place to say.." she said uneasily.

She then stopped.

"The throne room is right down that hall now I really must be going..good luck Percy." Fiona said then shooting down the hall.

"Thanks.. I guess.." I mumbled as I made my way down the hall.

Two guards stood in front of the door wearing silver armor head to toe and held their spears crisscrossed against the door.

As I approached the door they remove their spears and the doors opened automatically.

"Nice." I mumbled as I swam into the throne room.

I gulped as I saw who was there.

Two the right of my father's throne was Amphrite sitting on her throne, she sat up straight with regalness and long black hair flowed with the water.

And to the left of my dad was Triton, my half brother that reminded me every change he got that he was immortal.

I was not.

He was Poseidon's heir.

I was not.

He could turn me into a codfish with a snap of his fingers.

I could not.

Instead of Triton's normal merman form, his skin was human and he had two legs.

Like a real boy.

Amphirite being there had little effect on me because she was as awesome as any goddess stepmother could be.. compared to others..

What really worried me was that she would be on Tridents side and they'd double team on me because she'd have no choice.

And then there was dad.

He sat on his throne with a worried face tapping his finger on his temple.

He looked stressed and instead of his casual wear, he wore a greek blue chiton and a silver crown.

I stepped forward.

"Perseus,it's good to see you, we've missed your visits."Amphirite said as Triton scoffed.

I smiled at her as my dad looked up as if just realizing I was here.

"Percy," he said, trying his best to give a smile.

"It's good to see that you are well, I wish again that it would be on better circumstances but I'm afraid I have some dire news." Poseidon said.

"Would it have anything to do with the fact that I was dragged down here by some sea creature? There honestly could've been better ways to get me down here dad." I said with a frown.

All three of the immortals looked at eachother with uneasiness.

"It was not I that brought you down here Percy, but this proves my theory." Poseidon said.

"And what's that?" I asked confused.

"Someone has stolen my trident, and now, they are taking control of the seas.

AN: Review Review Review!


	2. Family

**Family**

The last thing in Pandora's box was hope.

Hope it's what keeps humanity going, the hope that a better day will come.

I'd learn that hope is what separates demigods from being gods.

Not because our lack of immortality or ultimate power but because of our humanity, our hope.

But these days, hope has started to feel like what mortals think my world is, a myth.

"What do you mean your trident is stolen! What's that in your hand right there!" I said pointing to the trident he held in his right hand.

"This is a decoy… a mere symbol of my power, I haven't pulled out my real trident in thousands of year. It's power is too strong to be kept in a place full of life and was stored away as a source of power." Poseidon explained.

"I don't understand, a source of power for what!" I said angrier.

Of course on my last day of summer something like this had to happen.

It probably never occurred to my dad to put a tracker on one of the most powerful weapons in the world or, I don't know, not loose it in the first place.

"It keeps everything under the sea and on the earth in balance. It stops the earth from caving in and the seas from drying. It's energy is tethered to everything." Poseidon said with emphasis.

I scoffed.

"And of course, I, the only available hero in the century, has to go fetch your trident and put my own life on pause! Because fates forbid I try to go and be happy for once!" I yell and then turned around and began to walk out.

"Perseus! Do not turn your back on me!" Poseidon rumbled.

I stopped for a second.

Why should I help?

The gods have everything in their power to get their immortal asses up and do something about this so maybe for once, it's their turn to do something about it.

I walked out.

* * *

"So what should I do?" I asked Annabeth as she paced back in forth in my cabin.

"I don't know Percy." she said with worried eyes.

"On the one hand, it's our duty to protect the world and it would be selfish to turn our back on it.." She said scrunching her eyebrows.

She then stopped.

"And on the other, you deserve to be selfish… we deserve to be selfish for everything we've done for them." she said coming to sit next to my side on the bed.

"Yeah I know." I said not meeting her eyes.

"The question is Percy, forgetting the fact that this will affect the world, are you ready to turn your back on the gods, our family?" she said.

Family.

Always and forever had a deep and literal meaning with the gods. Family meant everything to me, but would I sacrifice the chance for starting a new one, with Annabeth.

"I'll leave you alone tonight, but know that I love you Percy, and your decision won't change that okay?" She said with meaning.

I nodded my head as she made her way to the door.

The door opened and I heard a gasp.

"Annabeth what's wr-"

I turned to see someone that I'd never thought would step a foot in this cabin.

"If you don't mind, may I have a word Perseus." Amphirite said.

"Um, I'll leave you guys to it then." Annabeth said then quickly dipping out of the room and closing the door behind.

"I'm sensing I don't really have an option.." I say with uneasiness.

* * *

Amphitrite sure looked different in land then underwater.

Her dark hair cascaded almost to her waist and the moonlight made her blue eyes brighter.

And of course her change of attire made her look almost.. human.

"Thank you for agreeing to take a walk with me, I find the moonlight relaxing and as I don't come above often I like to take every chance I get to experience it." she said as we walked up the beach.

"No problems but if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?" I asked hoping she didn't take offense and turn me into a sea turtle.

Not that sea turtles were any bad but the thought of getting a straw stuck up my nose did not sound too appealing.

"I've come to talk to you about the conversation you had with your father earlier today."

"Look Amphitrite I haven't-"

"Before you make your decision Perseus you need to understand what's at stake here, and for that, you need to know the past." She said turning to the water and raising her hand.

She summoned water in the shape of a long needle.

"Wait what are you-"

But before I could stop her, the needle came flying to me and pricked me in the center of my forehead and then there was darkness.

* * *

"Zeus!" Poseidon yelled as he stormed into the throne room of Olympus where Zeus sat on his throne.

"You have gone far enough!" Poseidon said with an unfamiliar trident in hand.

Well it had actually looked like the trident I had in last night's dream.

"And what have I done now brother." Zeus said annoyed as he rolled his eyes.

"You lay your claim on the Earth as if it is yours and you banish our brother to the underworld as if he was an outsider! But you will not toss me aside brother! You forget who is younger!" Poseidon said as the trident beamed with power.

Zeus stood up.

"And you've forgotten who is your superior. Your accusations are strong brother, but can you back them up?" Zeus said as lightning bolt flashed in his hand and then turned into a sword.

"There will be no for fighting, I have had enough, I'm ending this once and for all!" Poseidon said as he spun his trident in the air and then pierced it into the ground.

The ground began to rumble and crack, Zeus stumbled back and looked out the window onto the earth.

Below, the earth began to crack and lava spewed onto humans.

"Poseidon stopped this at once! You will destroy the earth and along with it, your precious seas!" Zeus pleaded.

Poseidon's eyes widen as he removed his trident from the ground and the rumbling stopped.

Zeus gave a sigh of relief as Poseidon walked over to the window.

Humans screamed in pain and water and lava met each other.

Poseidon looked to his trident and watched it gleam in power as it's center gave a brightening light.

* * *

When I woke up I had a gasp of relief.

"Now you see only a glimpse of the tridents power Perseus, imagine what it can do in the hands of one of the gods' enemies." Amphirite said looking down at Perseus.

A horn then blew coming from the camp signaling that there was an emergency.

Panic spread in me.

"Go." Amphirite said looking out to the water.

"But remember Perseus that even though the gods are not perfect, we are and will forever be your family." she said.

I got up and started running but could not get that vision out of my head.

I looked back but Amphirite was gone. I then continued to make my way back to camp.

The first person I saw was Will shooting arrows into the sky right outside the entrance of the camp.

I looked up to see harpies outside the camp and plucking demigods that we're fighting outside the camp.

Of course this would happen on my last day.

I ran over to Will.

"How many." I asked.

"Don't know, enough to cause some trouble, but somethings different about these harpies." Will said as he continued to shoot down the harpies.

I ran outside the camp and slashed at as many harpies as I could trying not to think of Ella as I did so as they disintegrated.

Will was right though, they did seem different. They seemed frantic, and had foam dripping from their mouths and their eyes were a bright green that gleamed with hatred.

"Fall back!" Annabeth said calling from up the hill.

I looked at her confused but proceeded to go up as did everyone else.

"We had them, what's going on?" I questioned Annabeth.

"Percy. Look." she said pointing up to the sky.

I turned to see the harpies fighting each other, they ripped and tore at each others wings and when the last one was left, it but at its own wings and body until it died.

"What in Hades name is going on." I mumbled to myself.

Call it demigod intuition but I felt like this was the beginning of the end of my peaceful days.


	3. Steps Leading to a Demigod’s Death

**Steps Leading to a Demigod's Death:Step 1:A Prophecy**

"So why were the harpies here in the first place?" I asked Annabeth as we walked throughout the camp.

"Apparently they were chasing one of our own a new demigod that a satyr helped bring in."Annabeth said.

"Where are they now?" I asked.

"She's in the big house." She said.

"And where's the satyr?"

"He didn't come back."

"Let's go then, I think we need to know more about whatever is going on." I said.

Annabeth nodded in agreement as we made our way to the big house.

We opened the door to the big house to see Chiron and a girl around 13 or 14 wrapped in a blanket.

Chiron looked back at us.

"Are the wounded being treated?" Chiron asked concerned.

I nodded.

"We wanted to ask the girl a couple of questions if you don't mind, just to kind of piece together what happened." Annabeth asked.

Chiron frowned but nodded reluctantly as he made his way out of the room.

The girl looked back at us and something stunned me.

Her long dark black hair cascaded over her body and her eyes were the brightest green I had ever seen. They glistened with fear and confusion.

"Who are you." she whispered softly.

I gulped and stepped forward.

"I'm Percy and that's Annabeth." I said softly as I pointed to Annabeth.

"What do you want and what is this place!" she asked scaredly.

Her eyes darted around the room.

"Hey, calm down, we're not the enemy, we're only here to help." Annabeth said stepping forward and then going down to her knees to meet the child's eyes.

"We want to know what happen so if you piece together what happened then that would be great um-"

"-Eve." the girl said.

"Right, Eve. Well if you can, start from the beginning and try not to leave anything out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

* * *

Annabeth's skill and calm matter with Eve was still scary good to me. Who knew she'd be so good with kids! She managed to get all the information out of the girl and even managed to make her smile!

"Her name is Evelyn Mallory and she's from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She said the harpies has been attacking her all day when the satyr had came and got her and as they just reached Long Island, they took the satyr and she ran to camp." Annabeth said before sitting down diagonal to Percy.

Yep.

She was amazing.

"Why did they follow her so far though, harpies are normally over in the Roman side,why come this far for one demigod." Will asked.

The counselors mumbled in discontent.

"Is it possible.. that she could be a kid of the Big Three?" Piper asked queasily.

The table gasped.

"She did kinda look like you Percy.." Travis said uneasily.

"And she had a powerful aura." Lou Ellen interjected.

People mumbled in agreement.

It was no secret that she did, when I first saw her, her power clashed with mine, it was almost sickening.

"No." I finally said.

"I don't think she's Big Three." I said.

"I agree." Nico said popping out from the shadows.

"Jesus!"Leo said falling out of his chair.

"Can we get this guy a bell!"

Nico sneered as he took a step forward out of the shadows.

"The girl is not Big three but something.. different. Be careful around her, as for the monsters, I've never seen this before, but it carries a scene of magic.. dark magic." Nico said.

Everyone's eyes turned to Lou Ellen.

She nodded.

"Yes, Nico is correct, the aura of the magic is unfamiliar to most, as it comes from a place that is unfamiliar to most, it comes from Tartarus." Lou Ellen said as the room went into panic.

Annabeth and I looked at eachother.

Are you ok? Her eyes seemed to say.

Yea,you? I said back.

She nodded but I knew we were both lying, any reminder of that place made us both pale and rendered us useless.

"Silence! Order!" Chiron tried to call for but no one would listen.

The door then was slammed opened to reveal a redhead by the name of Rachel Dare.

Annabeth and I stood up quickly as she came in quite frazzled.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Annabeth asked.

Rachel then looked up but you could tell it wasn't Rachel.

It was the Oracle of Delphi.

" _Power of the Sea will be set free_

_Heart of the Sky is the Key_

_Search for the shackles that hold the King_

_To wake the restless the lyre will sing_

_Restore Olympus' power before the reaping _

_Before the rise of the sleeping_

_Poison spreads with the anger of the witness_

_the world's only hope are the heirs to Olympus_"

The oracle says and then passed out on the floor.

The room was silent.

"I guess vacation is over?" Leo says.

"Call Camp Jupiter, I think we'll need a little help." I say.


	4. Romans and their Pencils

**Romans and their Pencils**

"Jason said the senate would want to hear what's happening but how are we going to get there in such short notice?" Annabeth said.

"I believe I have a way." Chiron spoke up.

"It requires you Percy, a skill that children of Poseidon can use to travel." Chiron said.

"And I'm just learning about this now!" I said as I thought about all the monsters I could've escaped and all the crisis' I could've avoided if I knew I could do that.

"Like shadowtraveling, it uses a great deal of strength and can often cause drowsiness and while you had the curse of Achilles, I was afraid if you used it then you'd fall asleep and never wake back up." Chiron said.

Oh.

"Who's all going?" Annabeth said.

"I will."

"Me."

"Of course me."

"I wanna go."

"Going where now?"

" What's this meeting about again?"

"Silence!" Chiron said.

"Percy, Annabeth,Leo, and Piper shall go since they're familiar with the Romans and Nico and Will, with Wills doctrinal skills if needed and Nico's knowledge of this conflict." Chiron said.

"Now, Percy."Chiron said.

"Come with me and I'll show you how to hydrotravel."

ψ

"First, unshieve Riptide." Chiron said.

I uncapped it.

"Now close your eyes, concentrate on the water that surrounds you, the water that runs in your body, the moisture in the air,feel loss like water and move your sword with the flow of it, and then create your portal."Chiron said.

"Uh thy sounds great and all but kinda need to be around water to control so let's go down to the be-"

"No." Chiron said sternly.

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.

"Water is everywhere Percy. It is in life, it is in your blood and even in the atmosphere. You just must channel it." Chiron said.

"Now, try." he said more gently.

I took a deep breath sand held Riptide inches away from my face.

I began to feel the movement of water around me, I could sense it coursing through my veins and I could feel in the roots of trees.

I began to move my sword with its rhythmic flow like it was a built in sense.

I heard the sounds of water and opened my eyes to see the portal.

"Wow!" I said with adrenaline coursing through me.

"I had no doubt that you could do it." Chiron said with an unknown sadness.

"Now, go, let the Romans know what is coming."

ψ

As we all stepped through the portal, Romans surrounded us holding pencils and sticks as weapons.

" Oh no! The Romans are going to draw us to death! Help! Someone save us!" Leo said as the Romans sneered.

"Stand down!" A voice said at the back of the crowd.

Someone push through the Roman soldiers revealing Hazel.

" Sorry about that guys, they're new." Hazel says rolling her eyes.

" Of course they are! Otherwise they'd know they're in the presence of Bad Boy Supreme!" Leo said.

Hazel lightly laughed.

"Actually, if they knew you they'd probably arrest you for trying to blow up New Rome but it's glad to see you didn't lose your humor in death Leo." Hazel said.

"Wouldn't have mind if he stayed dead." Nico mumbled.

" Nico? I didn't know you'd be joining them." she said confused.

He shrugged as they both came in for a hug.

Will gave her smile and Hazel gave him a smile and brief nod back.

"It's nice to see you Hazel." Piper said as they both hugged and Annabeth joined.

"I would say the same in any other circumstance but I know it's not true, c'mon, I'll take you guys to the senate. They're waiting."

ψ

"We can assume that this quest correlates with the fact that Poseidon's trident, is missing." Jason as the senate gasped.

"Silence!" Frank yelled as the room went quiet.

"So what does this mean Jason?" Frank asked.

"It means that I have to go find it." I say standing up.

"It says before the reaping so we can assume that it means before summer ends, so before September 1st." Annabeth said then frowning.

"What's today?" she asked aloud.

"The 4th of August." Reyna said regretfully.

Of course I had to get another crazy quest before my birthday.

"And what of the 'heirs to olympus'" Hazel said changing that subject.

The roomed buzzed with talk.

"I believe I can answer that." A voice said as all heads turned to the center of the room, there stood-

"-Juno" Annabeth said with disgust she moved forward but I grabbed her wrist.

She looked back at me and I shook my head and then she relaxed.

"Milady Juno, it is an honor for you to grace us with your presence." Frank said as he went to his knees and the rest of the senate followed.

"But I assume is not just for pleasantries." Frank said looking up before he stood back up.

Juno did a stiff nod.

"You are correct young Praetor, I have come with a message." Juno said turning to the rest of the room and began to walk forward.

"A war is brewing in Olympus,and like the battles we fought with past adversaries, the gods are in need of demigods." she said.

What's new.

"But, to face this adversity, we need something more from demigods." she said as she continued to walk in the room.

"As you all may know, me and my greek counterpart focus on marriage and family, and the unification of family is what's required to face our next challenge." Juno said.

"What do you mean Lady Juno."

"She needs us...the heirs of Olympus." Jason said gulping.

"My champion, Jason, you are correct, the sons of Olympus must unite Olympus with the demigods by joining their fathers in their domains and solidify their power." Juno said as the room stirred in Chaos.

No.

No.No.No.No.

I turned my head to Annabeth and she met my eyes with the same fear.

"Nico Di Angelo,Jason Grace, and Perseus Jackson must bring our two worlds together before it is too late and as for you Percy, you must find Poseidon's trident before it plays a part in our downfall, you know what you must do." Juno said as she began to shimmer away, everyone turned away as the goddess turned into a blinding light and disappeared.

"We must heed to what Juno has said, the three sons must go Percy has a quest, and as for the rest of us." Frank said.

"We must prepare for war."


	5. With Love and Regret

**With Love and Regret**

"You know you have to go Percy." Annabeth said as they sat on the outskirts of Neptune's shrine. It was the only place they we could be completely alone since everyone was terrified of Neptune and wouldn't dare come near his shrine.

"But I don't want to go.. I don't want to fight anymore wars or battles and I definitely don't want to 'solidify the power' because that doesn't sound to peachy either." I said bitterly looking off into the distance.

"Percy, look at me." Annabeth said.

I turned to her.

"We are demigods. Life will probably always be some impending war or great prophecy. That's just how it is. It's not fair, it's not right but that's how it is." Annabeth said.

"Is this supposed to be motivation?" I said sarcastically.

"But," she said ignoring my comment and then placing her hand on my cheek.

"I do know that I will be here with you Percy, when hellfire rains down on Olympus, and when I'm old enough to pass off as the Grae sisters, I'm with you." Annabeth said.

I smiled and kissed her.

It wasn't like our everyday kisses or our impending death kisses but only filled with love.

I love you Annabeth.

I didn't say it out allowed but she knew I did.

I pressed my hand on her face and leaned into the kiss more and the kiss turned into a whole makeout session.

"I would say get a room but we actually have some business to attend to." A voice said.

Annabeth and I split and turned to see-

"Nico! You can't sneak up on us like that!" Annabeth said blushing furiously.

"Sorry." he said unapologetically.

"What business." I said catching my breath.

"It's about the prophecy and what Juno said about solidifying the power."

"So what does it mean?" Annabeth asked.

Nico frowned at Annabeth and then looked at me.

I nodded for him to continue.

He let out a sigh.

"We need to become princes."

* * *

"So what, we storm into our fathers domain and demand a title because you know, our fathers best history of taking demands and managing their temper." Jason sneered.

Even though my dad was the more calmer of the three gods, I couldn't remember one story where Poseidon took demands from anyone and they lived.

I pushed the eight ball back and forth on the pool table that somehow relaxed me. I always wondered why there was a pool table in the big house when we were preparing and strategizing for war but I guess it was here to successfully calm the nerves

"Well technically that's not all that has to be done." Nico says nervously.

Uh oh.

Here it comes.

"What else is involved?" Jason asked.

"According to the ancient laws, in order for a demigod to even be considered as a prince they have to complete a quest,by themselves and considering that there's no demigod princes around—"

"Either no one was stupid enough to try this or they died trying." I said swallowing nervously.

"And are there a selection quests to choose from or?"

"They just appear, do they. Like my quest, to find my dad's trident.. it's all connected." I said.

Nico nodded grudgingly.

"Well how are we supposed to become princes if there are no quests for us to complete. I don't see any quest lining up for us." Jason said frowning.

"Yeah well technically.. I already completed mine." Nico said.

Jason and I both looked at him.

"What do you mean you completed yours? When?" I said demandingly.

"When I returned the Parthenos.." he said.

"But you didn't do that by yourself, you had Reyna's help." Jason said matter of factly.

"But I still did the deed and completed the quest by myself." Nico said.

"Why didn't you become.. y'know, a prince." I asked.

"It would've been too complicated." Nico said scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Zeus probably would've had my head thinking I was trying to take over and for all we know that could've started a civil war between our fathers." Nico said shrugging.

"But couldn't the same thing happen with all of us becoming princes. They used us to prove who has the most power." Jason said.

"But Juno said it was the only way, to solidify the power.. Nico does us becoming princes somehow bring more power? To the gods?" I asked.

Nico nodded.

"When demigods and gods work together it always brings more power into the equation, us becoming a more prominent figure in our fathers domain unties our power with theirs, making it more powerful than us just simply fighting alongside with them."

"That's what it comes down to in the end.. power." I said bitterly.

"In order for the civil war in question to happen we should probably have our- er crowning together. But when?" Jason said changing the subject .

"Should probably be an important day to the gods so it can be seen by many, these types of events have meaning." Nico said.

"Winter solstice then, that's when I have to complete my quest by so the same probably goes for you Jason."

"Alright then. What's left for us to do, besides me figuring out what quest I have to complete." Jason.

"We go to our fathers.. to stake a claim on our titles." Nico said.

* * *

"Wow..that's a lot." Annabeth said as we sat on my bed in my cabin.

"Yeah.." I said.

"Well I guess you should be heading down to go see your father now right?" Annabeth asked.

I nodded silently.

"Then you'll have to start you quest?" she said.

I nodded again.

"Well, I know you're not going on this quest without me so-"

"Annabeth.."

"What Percy! You're not leaving without me! I don't care what the ancient laws say, you're not leaving without me!"She said standing up.

I sighed.

"Okay." I said forcing a smile.

"I'll come back after talking with my dad and we'll figure this out together." I said grabbing her hands as I stood up.

"But I have to go now, okay?" I said.

She nodded and looked down.

"Hey.." I said touching her chin so I could see her eyes.

"I love you Wise girl." I said.

She rolled her eyes.

"I love you too Seaweed Brain."

I slowly walked out of the room. Before stepping out of the door frame I looked back for what may be one last time.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed and part of me wanted to forget the quest, forget the gods and run back to Annabeth and us forget our whole world…

But that was impossible.

It broke my head that I had to lie to Annabeth. That I had to do this alone but I knew that it was the right decision.

And that was the only reasonable thought that made me leave the room.

* * *

Dear Annabeth,

I know you think this is probably the dumbest plan I've ever came up with and it probably is, but it's the best plan that keeps you safe and everyone else I love. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you this to your face but I couldn't bring myself to face you like this. I know I promised I wouldn't leave you again and I'm so sorry for breaking it but I have to do this.

No matter how much I wish you could come with me, I know that I have to do this alone. I can't risk any of you getting hurt. Especially you.

I can feel it in my bones that something bigger than we've ever faced is coming and only the Fates know if we will see each other again but I do know that I love you Annabeth. And that's why I'm doing this.

I'm sorry.

With love and regret,

Percy

I sighed as I finished reading the letter and handed it to Malcom.

"Are you sure you want to do this Percy?" Malcom said with a frown.

"No..but I have to." I said looking down and started to turn around.

"Percy," Malcom called.

I turned.

He looked like he had so much to say but only two words came out.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

* * *

The throne room doors opened for me and I stepped through and saw my dad, Amphirite, and Triton in their respective spots.

"Percy, I see that you have come to your senses" Poseidon said with a hint of pride for me.

"Yes I have, and I know what else I have to do." I said stepping forward.

There was confusion in Poseidon and Triton's face but knowingness in Amphitrite's.

"I accept your quest and I also am here to stake a claim on my rightful title, as a prince of the seas." I said with confidence that I had no idea existed.

The room broke out in gasp and chatter as servants ran off to go tell god knows who. Tridents face went purple as he shouted in protest but I couldn't hear him.

I locked eyes with my father and he had a certain sadness in his eyes.

I nodded, to let him know it was okay but I knew he could see through my lies.

"Silence." Poseidon called for in a stern but not angry voice.

"Perseus Jackson." He said standing up.

I winced at him using my full name.

"In the completion of your quest of bringing my trident home.. you will be crowned a prince of the seas." Poseidon declared as the room erupted in chaos again.

"Silence!" Poseidon said with more force this time.

"To start your quest Percy you must find Nereus, Old Man of the Sea, he will aid you on your quest." Poseidon said.

Oh no.. not him..

* * *

I stood on the outskirts of Camp Halfblood, reluctant as ever to leave.

I had came back to get ambrosia sandwiches and gather clothes but I couldn't bring myself to leave.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" A voice said.

I turned around to see Jason carrying a duffle bag on his shoulder.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it." I replied.

"Not even to Annabeth?" Jason asked stepping forward.

"I see you got your quest." I said dodging his question.

He look confused to how I knew but rhenbI gestured to his bag.

"Yeah I did, I have to find the Elements of Discord." He said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Cassius' dagger, Apple of Discord, and Kronos' scythe."

"And let me guess,all three are missing."

"Yup,I'm heading to San Francisco to check back at camp to see if Cassius' dagger is in the armory or museum somewhere. Where you headed?"

" Actually,same, I have a sea god to catch and I don't want to waste any energy on water traveling

."

"You can catch a ride with me then." Jason said.

"Thanks, who's you ride?"

"Alrighty amigos! Let's go!" Someone said on cue.

Leo popped out of nowhere and paused when he saw Leo.

"Oh hey Percy, you need a ride too? Jesus does everyone need a ride today! We haven't had this many people on the Argo II since..well the war!" Leo said as he walked out of camp getting out his nintendo joystick.

"What does he mean everyone? Who else coming?"

"Hey Percy." Piper said walking passed me.

"Piper! Why!" I asked urning to Jason.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"She might know where to find the Apple of Discord, her mother did have it last."

"What happened to doing the quest by ourselves!"

"Those laws are totally outdated Percy. Of course you guys are gonna need help on your quest, besides I don't know why you're so shook, it's not like I'm the only one tagging along." Piper said.

"What does she mean? Who else?" I asked Jason.

A branch snapped and I turned to see the last person I thought I see right now.

"Annabeth?"


	6. Hope

**Hope**

"A-Annabeth..what are you doing here?" I said awestrucked.

Annabeth face was unreadable, her eyes were stormy but she was scary calm.

"I was asking Jason to take me to New Rome with him so I can get settled in for this semester since I'm not needed here.." she said. Then there

"But then I asked if she could help me on my quest… daughter of Athena seems like a pretty good asset to the cause." Jason said nervously.

"At least some think I'm useful." Annabeth said rushing past me.

"Annabeth I-

"Save it." she said curtly.

There was silence again as I stood there gaping like one of my dad's fishes.

I then closed my mouth and tightened my jaw.

"Not one word." I said turning to Jason with a flash of anger.

He nodded quickly and then I turned around heading to Argo ll.

Why I was angry, I had no idea.

But I'm sure if the wrong hellhound had tried to attack me at this moment.

The hellhound would've wished it stayed in Tartarus.

I collapsed on my bed with a million thoughts running through my mind.

What was next?

Sure I had what seemed like a plan.. go talk to Nereus who probably still hates me.

Then what?

And then there was Annabeth, what could I possibly say to her to justify lying to her, or an argument that would survive against a daughter of Athena.

I could feel the ships engine sputter as we rose in the sky.

Hopefully Zeus wouldn't shoot me down but it seemed like the better option then having to face Annabeth.

"May the fates help me.." I said to myself but silently wishing that they heard and acted on my prayer.

* * *

"Alrighty folks! What's the game plan!" Leo said as we all gathered around the table.

There was no power struggle for the head of the table between me and Jason this time as I sat down in the head chair.

He probably didn't know if I was angry with him for letting Annabeth come and decided not to test me or my patience.

Annabeth sat at the further end near Jason and had not said one word to me or even looked in my direction.

"My quest requires talking to Nereus, Old Man of the Sea.." I said hoping to catch Annabeth's attention since he was a crucial part in my quest to save her but all she did was shift in her seat a little.

I frowned.

"But there might be a little problem getting the information I need since our last encounter didn't go that well and I don't think the same tricks to capture him.." I continued.

"Oh wait! Did you say Nereus!" Piper said as she snapped up.

I nodded.

"Well I know how you can get him to cooperate, my dad played him in of his movies, wasn't that good, but he had to study him and it's said that Nereus can be flattered into getting the answers you need , and it's said that he loves justice and wisdom and..oh" Piper shrunken down in her seat and became mute.

"And what?" I said.

"And luckily you have a daughter of the wisdom goddess to help you." Annabeth said indifferently.

"Still don't need me?" she said codly.

"Annabeth I never said-"

"Jason you can get me up to speed later, I'm going to my room." Annabeth said as she got up and left the room in a deadly silence.

"Okay.." Jason said gulping.

"Let's get back to it.. Our first stop will be New Rome to see if we can find Cassius Dagger. I could always use backup so, Percy? Can you come with?"

I couldn't bring myself to talk so I did a short curt nod.

I really messed up.

Gods I messed up.

"Umm great, while we go to retrieve that, Piper could you try to contact your mom about the apple?"

"Yeah sure, can't guarantee she'll answer though."

"Okay good. The rest of you on research duty?"

There was a collective of;

Yeah

Sure

Of course

"Great. Leo, ETA on a New Rome?"

"Sky is looking clear today so we should be arriving in an hour or so." Leo said as he fidgeted with his nintendo switch remote.

"Good. Okay that's all the debriefing for now, everyone knows what they're doing so get to it, and Percy may I speak with you?" Jason said as eyes turned in my direction.

I nodded.

"Alright, let's get to it guys."

* * *

"So.." Jason said as they both leaned on the side of the ship looking into the distance.

"I know what you're about to say.. apologize to Annabeth.. she's more capable than you think.. you can't protect everyone." I said with bitterness remembering all of the people that I failed to protect.

"Actually, I'm not here to tell you that." Jason said to my surprise.

"We're cursed Percy.. Me, you, Thalia, Nico, and Hazel, but especially me and you."

"We have these amazing powers.." he said as a tiny horse formed out of air formed in his hand.

"But despite that, we'll still fall, as mortals." he said as the horse returned back to its natural state.

"We can't pretend we aren't superior and the betters of our race because the truth is, without us heroes, there'd be nothing." he said.

"But we also like you said can't save everyone… that's our curse, we are the superiors, so while the world crumbles, we'll be the last to fall.. unless we sacrifice ourselves. It's a lose lose." Jason said with sadness.

"What I'm trying to say, Percy is that I don't blame you. Hell, I wish Piper and the rest of them would've stayed but the truth is, they make our existence a hell of a lot better. They'll be there at our darkest times and our brightest despite the odds or whether we want them there or not. They're our motivation, our hope. And we have to hold onto that in our world. It's the only way we'll survive whatever's coming." Jason said turning to me.

I met his blue eyes and I saw the same sadness and weight I carried, that we all carried, with us everyday.

"Whoever thought they see the day, a son of Zeus and a son of Poseidon having a heart to heart." I said jokingly.

Jason laughed.

"Just the Fates throwing another curveball into our existence." he said laughing some more.

"Sorry to interrupt the bro moment but, we're here." Leo said.

"Alright.. I guess it's game time."


	7. Gold Hoarding Dragons

**Gold Hoarding Dragons**

I stood in front of her door nervously but knew it was the right thing to say goodbye and begin my apology.

Annabeth was furious with me and this was one of the times where I was unsure exactly what to say or do.

I knew what I did wasn't exactly the best choice but if she could see through my eyes.. she'd see that it wasn't just a dumb Seaweed Brain move. I wanted to explain this to her but the closest I got to knocking was curling my fist.

"Percy," Someone called.

I turned to see Jason.

"You ready to go?" He questioned.

"Uh yeah I'll meet you down there." I said.

Jason nodded and walked away.

I sighed and looked at the door as if it would tell me what to do.

I can't do this right now.

I have to go off and save the world and I can't have Annabeth on my conscience.

So instead of leaving a heartfelt note or saying goodbye in person, this time, I just left.

* * *

Jason and I walked into the Principa to be greeted with bug eyed stares and not so quiet whispers.

It appeared to be a senate meeting we interrupted and at the head of the table sat Frank and Reyna.

"Percy and Jason, we are a very important meeting right now, perhaps-",Reyna began to say

"It can't wait." Jason interrupted.

" What's wrong." Frank said standing up.

Frank was no longer the self conscious chubby son of Mars that I had first gotten to know, but a warrior in his own right.

"We need your help, both of you guys."I said.

I met Reyna's eyes and she somehow knew what I was trying to say without saying it as her eyes widen and she stood up.

"Very well, this meeting will continue at a later time. Leave us." Reyna said in her signature tone that made people scramble to their feet and exit immediately.

"Now, what have you two nimrods gotten into now."

* * *

"So..does any of those items ring a bell? We thought you both might at least have an idea about Cassius' dagger since it's Roman." Jason asked.

"Mmm." Reyna said with her thinking face on.

"Cassius' dagger.. the dagger used to aid in the kill of Julius Caesar correct? Cassius' own colleague and friend..one of the most memorable betrayals in our history.."Reyna said trailing off into her own thoughts.

"I will check our inventory but I believe we don't have these items, where is Annabeth? I'm sure she can aid in the research on finding your lost artifacts."

Jason suddenly became mute and interested in the floor.

"We thought it best if Jason and I came, familiar and friendly faces." I said as Reyna raised an eyebrow.

"Wait.." Frank said breaking his silence.

"Would you say these artifacts are basically tools of evil but technically..treasures."

"Depends on your definition of treasure but-"

"And what are all of these items made of.." Frank asked carefully.

"Well essentially, Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold, and old fashion, well, gold." Jason said confused at Frank relating this to anything we were just talking about.

And he wasn't the only one.

"Which all happens to be the most valuable metals on the planet." Frank mumbled nervously.

"What are you trying to say, Frank." Reyna said.

"I know who has the artifacts..or rather what does."

* * *

"A dragon. A gold fiending, ancient Chinese dragon that happens to be guarding hell,has the artifacts." I said with sarcasm.

"I know it sounds out there but my grandma use to tell me stories of him..Fuzanglong, the guardian of hidden treasures and the underworld. The stories she told me used to scare the crap out of me but he exists. I know he does. And you all can't seriously be doubting the fact that there's a dragon out there when I can literally turn into one."Frank said.

Frank had a point.

I had seen some pretty outlandish stuff including an egyptian crocodile and a demigod that could come back to life every time he died if he was taken to a hotel for a little nap time.

"Even if your story had some truth to it, I've been to the underworld, hell, basically took a tour, and I didn't see any dragons hoarding gold." I said.

"There is one than more entrance into the underworld. Circe spoke of this during my time with her." Reyna added.

"So, where would your dragon be?" Jason asked

Franks nose wrinkled.

"My grandma never gave an actual location but just said, he lies where all the gold lies with him." Frank said then realizing how unhelpful and cryptic that was.

"Wait a minute, where all the gold lies with him.. are we not in California folks, gold rush central?" Reyna said.

"So it's in California, but that doesn't really narrow it down much considering our time restraint." I said.

"I think I know someone that can help with that.." Frank said.

* * *

"A dragon. Really. A dragon." Hazel said staring at Jason,Frank and I with disbelief.

Reyna had gone off to search the inventory and research as we went to Hazel in hopes of locating the lost toys.

"I know it's crazy but it's true! And we really need your help finding Fuzanglong's layer which holds a lot of gold and stuff and also happens to be an entrance to the Underworld so I thought you could help in this department." Frank said, shrugging.

Hazel stared and shifted her gaze between all three of us.

"Fuzanglong.. the dragon."

"Hazel!"Frank pleaded.

"Ok fine! Get me a map of California and a bowl of cube sugars." Hazel said.

"What are the sugars for?" Jason asked.

"For Arion, he's had a sweet tooth lately."

* * *

I once again found myself sitting on the outskirts of Neptune's shrine and was currently throwing rocks.

The reason..there wasn't any.

"Can I join you?" A voice said.

I turned to see Reyna.

"Sure, we can have a rock throwing contest.. I'll warn you though, Neptune might throw a fit if you beat his son in front of his own shrine." I said making Reyna laugh.

"I've finished my search in inventory and I was correct, we don't have any of the items so I proceeded in researching.. I compared notes with Annabeth and she seems to be on to something." Reyna said.

She obviously saw me tense at her mentioning Annabeth and I realized this was a trap.

"I lied to Annabeth about going on my quest and left without saying a formal goodbye..twice." I said just putting it out there.

"I know." she said simply.

I turned to her.

"Then why'd you trap me into saying that!" I said offended.

Reyna laughed lightly.

"I thought you might want to talk about what's really going on, why you did what you did." She said.

"Well I was only trying to protect her and Jason said-"

"Wait.. please tell me you did not take advice from Jason." she said as her faced starting turning red, for what I didn't know.

"Well yeah I mean-"

Reyna then broke out in a full fit of laughter to the point where she was wiping tears from her eyes.

"Sorry, didn't think my love life was this hilarious.." I mumbled.

"N-No Percy, it's not that but did you forget who Jason is?"

"What do you mean?"

"He's the son of Jupiter! He probably gave a whole self righteous sermon about how you and the rest of the big three are the superior bunch and you have to protect those at all cost!" Reyna said.

"Well yeah.. kinda." I said realizing that's exactly the speech Jason gave.

"Look, Jason's heart is in the right place, and so is yours, but at the end of the day, we're all demigods, we all fight our own monsters and we all have that high probability of dying and you trying to protect Annabeth.. that's not you trying to protect her necessarily." Reyna said.

"What do you mean?" I said frowning.

"You love her, right?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah.." I said getting uncomfortable.

"She's your heart.. and in this world we don't wear our hearts on our sleeves, we keeper them protected and guarded under armour so no one can hurt us." She said.

"So.. I want to protect Annabeth so much because I don't want to lose her, and I don't want to feel that pain. or anymore lost." I said as I came to the conclusion that I was being the most selfish boyfriend on the planet.

Reyna nodded.

I turned to Reyna and hugged her, she grunted in surprise but then returned it.

"Thanks Reyna." I said breaking away.

Just then Jason stumbled into the courtyard red faced looking between me and Reyna.

Or rather the close proximities of our faces.

"Uh Jason, what's going on?" Reyna said standing up and scooting away from me.

"Uh Hazel round the layer, I IM'd Piper to let her know what we were doing so uh, you ready to go?" Jason said, looking at me.

"Uh yeah," I said standing up.

let's go cook up some dragon."


	8. The Priestess

**The Priestess **

"So the Chinese Dragons lair is in Chinatown.." I said as we walked in the streets of LA's Chinatown.

"No," Hazel said.

"But someone that can get you there is."Hazel said, walking as if she knew exactly where she was going.

Jason and I looked at Frank but he just shrugged.

Hazel continued to walk and we followed until she stopped in front of a booth.

To the side of the booth was a Chinese woman who looked like she would drop dead any second.

To our surprise, Hazel bowed, she then looked back at us signaling for us to do the same and we did, clumsily.

"Guys, this is Priestess Zhao Genji, a follower of Hecate and a demigod, daughter of Fuzanglong." Hazel said.

Hazel then began speaking in what I presumed was Chinese, pointing at us and saying our names at a time.

The old lady turned her head and looked at us with disgust.

"So now you believe me, and how do you know she's the dragon's daughter? And since when do you speak Chinese!" Frank said.

"Hazel what's going on.."Jason asked carefully.

The old lady began to laugh.

"You demigods.." she said in a low raspy voice.

"Son of Mars, oh so stubborn, a son of Jupiter, quick to be defensive in the presence of power, and a son of Poseidon.." she said, then ticking her tongue.

"Drowning in fear."

I frowned.

"Hecate contacted me while I was locating the lair, she revealed to me the truth and said we should seek Priestess Genji's help."

"And as far as you being suspicious of my parenthood son of Mars.."

Suddenly her eyes turned gold and looked reptilian.

Jason, Frank and I all stumbled back.

"You of all people should know appearances are forever changing." she said smiling to Frank showing a row of razor sharp teeth.

Frank gulped.

"Priestess, we humbly ask for your guidance, we are on a quest for the gods that is tangled with a prophecy." Hazel asked.

The priestess frowned.

"Well I'd hardly say this is the collective's quest.. no, this belongs to the Son of Jupiter.. and why aren't you on your quest son of Poseidon.. do you fear its outcome?" she said, smirking.

"In my eyes our quests are the same, they're connected, and now I'd appreciate it if you'd stop looking at us like you aren't a demigod too, and if you're going to help us, then do it." I said tightly.

Hazel looked fearful for me as she begged the priestess for forgiveness but the priestess was not listening.

She was staring at me and I was staring right back at her.

She then smiled, or her creepy version of it.

"You are smarter than you look Perseus," she said.

I winced at her full use of my name considering that was only used for people or monsters that were trying or wanted to kill me.

"Indeed your quest are tied.. but it's outcome.." she said then frowning and looking down.

"You should fear." she said blatantly.

"Awesome, can you help us now?" I asked annoyed.

She nodded.

"SHEN!" the priestess yelled.

In milliseconds a blue monkey showed up on the lap of the old lady.

The monkey had looked like Abu from Aladdin but of course, this monkey was blue.

The monkey seemed very pleased to be called and preceded by jumping on Jason's head and knocking on it as if it was rock.

"Shen is my monkey spirit, he will bring you to my father and—Shen! You behave! No jumping on demigod heads!" The priestess said, scolding the monkey.

Shen whimpered.

"As I was saying,beware of my father. He is not as kind and kindred as I." she said no jokingly.

Is she serious?

"Thank you Priestess now we must go—" Hazel began to say.

"No," the priestess said.

"You, are needed with me my dear," she said to Hazel.

"And you," she said looking at Frank.

She then flicked her wrist and Frank was gone.

"are not needed at all." she said as we all began to panick.

"Oh relax, the boy is safe. He has returned to his praetor duties." she said waving her hand.

"And as for you two," she said looking at Jason and I."

"I will bestow my blessings."

"Uh no t-"

"Son of Jupiter, come." she said.

Jason stepped closer nervously.

The priestess wrinkled her nose.

"Come closer, I do not eat demigods, especially sons of Jupiter.. too airy." she said with distaste.

I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.

Jason reluctantly came closer.

"Son of Jupiter.. I bless you with humbleness, know you are far from powerful and that there's greater entities that will not hesitate to stomp and squish you." she said with seriousness.

"Uh, thank you?" Jason said.

"Son of Poseidon! Come." she said as Jason stepped back.

It was my turn.

I was not excited

I stepped forward and the priestess looked in my eyes, this time it felt as if she was searching through me, my soul, my mind, my everything.

"Percy.. I bless you with fear, fear not as an adversary but as an ally to help you through your long journey." she then took my arm and drew an S which turned into a golden dragon and then it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Fear keeps us alive." she said mysteriously.

I didn't understand what the blessing meant fully but her sincerity and the look in her eyes made it mean something.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

She nodded.

"Now go. You all have disturbed my peace long enough."

Shen, who was quiet till now, slapped Jason and I on the cheek and then there was darkness.

* * *


	9. In the Eyes of The Monster

**In the Eyes of the Monster**

* * *

_In the eyes of the monster, what do they fear._

_Are they afraid of something worse_

_Or is all they know is to hurt_

_Or, are they afraid of our spears_

_And maybe that is the bigger monster here_

* * *

We landed in an alley.

An alley with a trash can luckily as Jason proceeded to hurl into it and Shen the monkey jumped in delight.

"That little monkey's evil." Jason said, wiping his mouth.

I smiled and laughed as Shen clapped while laughing.

Jason glared at the monkey and looked back at me.

"How are you not sick!" He said.

"That was some version of shadow traveling and courtesy to Nico, I have some experience." I said stifling my laughter as Jason stumbled trying to regain balance.

"Now.. where are we Shen." I said looking down at the monkey.

The monkey then pointed to the stairs leading to a basement of sorts.

Jason and I peeked down there and the stairs led to a steel door.

"The dragon's lair?" Jason asked.

"I guess so." I said frowning.

I was expecting a cave with endless treasures but I guess nothing is ensured in my world.

"Well, lead the way Shen." I said looking down at the monkey.

The monkey shook his head furiously and then turned into blue smoke.

"And there goes Shen."Jason said.

I sighed.

When the cheerful happy monkey decides to flake on you before entering a dragon's lair you start to feel more nervous.

"Alright.. let's head down I guess."

Jason looked at me nervously as I took the first step down the stairs and he followed.

What seemed to be only a few stairs, well, wasn't.

"Why are we still walking towards the door?" Jason said after a minute of us still walking down the stairs.

I stopped.

"It must be an enchantment.To keep mortals out and any other unwanted visitors." I said frowning at the door.

"Great. Well what are we supposed to do about that." Jason said, sighing.

I laughed at his hopelessness.

"Hey Golden Boy! Where's your good old glorious peppy spirit you used while leading people to battle!" I said mocking him.

He gave me side glare.

"I only have that when there's a set plan in motion.. This isn't our territory, these aren't our gods, and I'm tired of being led on a wild goose chase."

"Oh come on. Your dad's Zeus! You have no problem telling me how powerful he is so I'm sure that has some pull, I'm sure we can figure something out." I said staring at the door, hoping that winning a staring contest with it would open it up.

Jason scoffed.

"Yea my dad's Jupiter or Zeus or whatever but where does that get me! The promise of certain death! No one cares who my dad is! Hey Mister Fuzanglong Dragon sir? I know you're a Chinese deity or whatever but I was hoping that since my dad kinda rules the Greek and Roman worlds that you could kindly give me and my other delinquent demigod broham an invitation to your lair so we could steal something from you, could you do that for us?.. Oh no, we can't just barge into your world and steal your stuff because my dad rules the sky or because his dad rules the sea?... Oh wait, you're actually going to kill us now because our dads managed to piss you off two centuries ago? Oh!" Jason said wide eyed.

"Well.. technically we actually wouldn't be stealing because—Wait. Back up. What'd you say?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "You forget to get all the seaweed out of your ears after your morning swim." He said scoffing.

I frowned.

"No. You were saying something about an invitation.." I look down to my forearm where the the Dragon S reappeared, now giving me a tingling feeling.

"And I think we have on.." I said smiling.

"What?" Jason said confused.

"Take my hand." I said placing my hand in front of his as he looked at me confused.

"What are you—"

"Just take it!" I said.

He took it hesitantly as I pulled him up.

"Okay..I hope this works otherwise we'll look really dumb. on three we run down okay?" I said to Jason.

"Okay but—"

"1"

"2"

I held up my forearm as it started to shine and tingle more.

"3!"

We ran down the stairs at full speed and the door got closer.. but not because we're running but because it was coming to us.. at full speed.

"Uh Perce" Jason said nervously.

"Don't stop!"

I hoped and prayed to my dad that we would have a full collision with the door because I would surely be knocked unconscious because when I get knocked unconscious a few days or weeks seem to pass and I can't afford to be taking naps right now.

The door got closer and closer and my anxiousness increased.

When only a few feet away Jason and I looked at each other and like we were in each other's head we knew exactly what the other was thinking.

Jump.

* * *

I'm not gonna lie, this seemed like a pretty epic moment for me.

Jumping through a door like I was going to Narnia and not to mention I figured how to get in all by myself. I was definitely telling Annabeth this.. when she's not mad at me anymore.

But what wasn't epic was jumping into an underground party and slipping on some type of cat's tail when coming through and landing right on my face.

I probably won't tell this part.

The cat screeched and screeched until I finally decided to pick up myself, and what was left of my pride and dignity off her tail.

"I am so so sorry.. uh.. ma'am" The cat certainty looked female with it's long almost dark raven hair like mine and their delicate or even beautiful features but in these times and this world, there was no telling.

She hissed.

"I'm not a cat lady I'm a Kitsune you smelly mutt." The Kitsuno or whatever said.

Wait.

Did she just read my mind?!

And how does she know I'm a demigod!

Of course she called me a mutt but every demigod knows that's another insulting name for half blood.

Can Chinese monsters smell us too?!

I looked at Jason and we instinctively reached for our respective weapons

"Oh relax! I don't eat mutts and yes I can read your minds and I'm not Chinese! I'm Japanese and Kit- soon-a!" The kit— I'm not even going to try, said while rolling her color changing eyes.

I smiled nervously.

Her annoyed face turned amused and looked at Jason.

"I remind you of your girlfriend..Cute." She said while revealing her pearly white teeth with two sharp canines.

Jason looked embarrassed and as she stared talking to Jason I started to look around.

The dragon's lair seemed more like an underground nightclub with music blaring but not loud enough for me not to hear the people around me talking but loud enough not to bring your mom.

I surveyed my surroundings and everyone one in here radiated magic or godliness that made me grip Riptide in my pocket with my life.

I just wanted to find Cassius' dagger and get the hell out of a Dragon's lair.

The Kit-the girl snapped her head to me.

"So you both are looking for Fuzanglong long." She said, raising her brow.

Her eyes turned dark.

Jason and so once again looked nervously at each other but we held our ground.

"No. We are looking for Cassius' dagger. We'd like to completely avoid contact with his Lordship if we could." I said sarcastically.

Jason cleared his throat.

"He means we just want what we came for and we'll respectfully be on our way." Jason said, giving a son of Zeus specialty smile.

"Well sorry pretty boy but you'll have to go through Fuzanglong." she said rubbing her snow white tail against Jason's chin.

"And how do you know this?" I said frowning.

The girl turned towards to be and her now green devious eyes twinkled and her feline ears perked up.

"My name is Katerina Baishō, daughter of Fuzanglong and Princess of Riches and the Underworld." she said and then did a low curtsy then looking up with more mischievousness that's I have ever seen in the Stolls eyes.

"Charmed."

* * *

"And how exactly are you the Princess of the Underworld because I've met the royalty down there and I'm not sure you're it." I asked as we just entered a long hall.

"Surely you know that the underworld is a vast place and there's only so much one god can keep track of." Katerina said.

"Then why have I never heard of you or your dad till today." I said challenging her.

"And you didn't know about the Romans till a couple months ago, you don't know much about anything really." She said bored.

I frowned.

"Where are you taking us?" I asked changing the subject as we walked father and farther from the party down the narrow hall.

That hall was decorated with treasures with the walls lined with what seemed to be spoils of war and items from history.

The elephant tusk I thought would've been the most surprising thing in there but right to the left of it was the Mona Lisa.

No sign of the dagger.

"I'm taking you to my father, you do want to see him right?"

"Yes,yes we do." Jason said before I could open my mouth to say something sarcastic.

"Good. And I had to get us away from that party. Too much noise. Couldn't read your minds all the way." Katerina said casually as we turned into another hall.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't." I said, clenching my jaw.

"Why." Katerina said stopping.

"You don't want me to hear about all the ways you plan to kill me if something goes wrong? You should appreciate my honesty, us Kitsune don't give that out that often and I'm only reading your minds so I don't get killed since your kind get real trigger happy around those that don't look like you so I'm just taking some precautions, believe me when I say I don't want to hear your girl problems or your PTSD or you thinking I'm a bloodsucking monster because let me tell you something that might shake you to your core, in the eyes of the monster,you are the monster." Katerina said.

Her eyes were still green but her pupils were narrow.

Fox like.

This was her real face.

She huffed and continued walking and Jason looked at me wide eyed.

If my fatal flaw wasn't loyalty I'd say it was my mouth.

We continued to walk for a few more minutes in silence until Jason stopped.

Katerina looked at him and then me for explanation but I just shrugged.

"We're underground." Jason said looking at the floor.

"Uh yeah bud. We know this" I said.

"No. We're underground underground...We're in the underworld." Jason said looking up

"And people say blondes aren't smart.. I knew you had more brains than beauty." Katerina said flirtatiously as we continued to walk.

"No wonder it's taking us so long to get there.." I said suddenly nervous that I was this close to Tarturus.

"But how'd you know?" I said trying to take my mind off of my horror.

"He's a son of Zeus, of course he knows." Katerina said, rolling her eyes.

"And that means.." I said

"There's less oxygen in this space, because we're underground, us Air kids know about air." Jason said

Oh.

"And apparently non-air kids know about it too, how come you know so much about us and we know nothing about you." Jason said giving Katerina a flirtatious smile.

I hoped Jason was actually up to something because I did not want to be the one to tell Piper that Jason ran off with an exotic fox princess.

"Whadya wanna know?" She said clearly intrigued by Jason's sudden interest.

"Well you know we are demigods, so what are you?" he asked casually.

Ah hah.

"I already told you that.. but I guess I can elaborate, I already told you I'm a Kitsune and that's basically a Japanese fox shapeshifter. We deceive, lie,steal, possess,kill, all of the above. But only the weak. Our powers of seduction and mind influence only works on men. The weaker sex."

I decided scoffing would be a bad idea but my masculinity would be severely damaged after this mission.

"So you can charmspeak can't you. Just like Piper. I knew it."

"And you compared me to her beauty, you thought I was her sister." Katerina said with a sly smile.

Jason blushed.

"Er well yes and well you do have Greek features and your last name is Japanese but your first name is of Greek origin." Jason said still embarrassed

Katerina smiled at him again enchanted by his golden boy ways.

"You're right. It's Greek." She said vaguely.

"You're greek?" I said surprised.

"No, not really. When my mother had me she fled with me to Europe, hoping that she could trade the demigod heiress baby off to the Greeks since they needed something to secure their power against the Chinese deities when Greece started to cease to exist. The Greeks didn't like paying that much for me so they killed my mother and took me as their own till my dad came and got me." Katerina said she then smiled.

"Even were trigger happy then too." she said sadly.

I suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of guilt for her and realized what the root of her anger was. She was wronged by my people and my first act was to kill her.

She wasn't the monster, I was.

"I'm sorry." Jason said looking straight ahead with his eyebrows scrunched.

Katerina scoffed.

"For what? You aren't even Greek." She said.

Jason grabbed Katerina's arm and stopped.

"I'm sorry for your loss, and your pain. I know it. I know that your mom was horrible to you for doing what she did but she was your mom and it hurts. I know what it's like to lose someone while getting sucked up into our worlds. I know it and I guess I'm sorry that you know it too." Jason said and I saw the sadness in his eyes.

Sometimes I couldn't believe how unlucky my other demigod friends were and how lucky I was to have my mom. Tyson. Estelle. Annabeth. While others like Jason,Thalia, Nico, Hazel, Leo, and so many others are alone. They have the rest of us as friends but in their eyes you can see that they are alone.

Jason let go of her arm gently and the two of them began to have what seemed to be a staring contest.

"I see you're a good guy Jason Grace. I knew you were trying to get info from me but I wanted to see what your true colors were and I wanted to see them." Katerina said after a few moments of quiet.

"Percy Jackson. I can tell you're good too. A good heart but a clouded mind and soul. But you're good. You must be since my little sister gave you that mark." She said turning to me.

"The Priestess? Your little sister?! I thought you were a demigod!" I said deeply confused.

"I am. A demigod stuck at the age of 17 until I ascend my father's throne." She said simply.

"Now as for the matter where my father is concerned." she snapped her fingers and a golden door appeared only feet away.

"Now you may see him." She said.

"You could've done that the whole time! What the hell-"

"Uh Perce.."

"What!"

"She's gone."

And sure enough the fox was gone and in her place just stood the golden door where a dragon was.

Great.


	10. The Fall Into Darkness

**The Fall Into Darkness**

"Okay.. I knocked through the last door so it's your turn this time." I said trying to reason with Jason.

No way was I gonna bust into a room and fall on someone's tail AGAIN.

"No bro, you're the one with your own fancy invitation tattooed to your arm." Jason said, crossing his arms.

"Dude the guys daughter was all over you and you're Mr.Goody Two Shoes purest heart crap." I said scoffing.

"She was not all over me, and you're older. Age before beauty." Jason said nodding to himself for his sufficient reply.

I huffed and rolled my eyes right to the golden door.

It gleamed as if it were calling me.

"Ok." I said and then walked closer.

"I'm right behind you." Jason said nodding.

I rolled my eyes again.

I did a quick prayer before touching the cool door knob praying I would not disintegrate.

I did not.

"Here we go." I said before opening the door prepared to be met by the flames of a dragon and the blazing heat of hell.

But of course it was not that.

Instead it was a white room, or temple I should say.

Creatures or people, I was unsure, walked around in white robe like garments and I suddenly felt misplaced with my blue jeans and green shirt.

"What is this place?" Jason asked in awe.

It was beautifully made and if Annabeth we're here she would definitely be geeking out over its architecture or whatever.

My eyes finally met the center of the room where all the people roaming circled from a distance and looked at with respect and admiration.

There was a boy that couldn't be older than me, maybe 16. At first I thought it would be another one of the dragon's kids but this kid had a godly glow around him.

His golden blonde hair trapped sunlight and seemed like the shiniest thing in there and from a distance you could see his golden eyes gleam, but they were reptilian. He was also dressed in a robe like clothing but it was more kingly, like it was made for royalty. When the boy laughed everyone else did and like Katerina, his smile was brightening and had too sharp canines.

"Who is that?" Jason said looking at the same person as me.

"That's who we're looking for." I said to Jason.

As if the boy could sense me, he locked eyes with me and stood up from his imperious throne.

"Little Gods! You have arrived!" The boy said as all eyes were on us.

* * *

If this was Fuzanglong he certainly did not look the part.

Besides not being a gigantic dragon, most underworld deities were notorious for their dark hair and eyes and overall dark demeanor but this underworld deity was a 16 year old boy wrapped up in sunshine.

Jason coughed at me as we stood feet away from the dragon speechless

"Er..Your Majesty Fuzanglong-"

"Call me Zang." Zang interrupted as he was fed gold plated grapes.

"Okay, Zang—" I started.

"Your weapons… they're beautiful, especially yours Son of Jupiter.. it's gold.. very valuable and appreciated." Zang said, staring down the pocket where Jason's golden coin laid.

This guy is weird.

"Uh Thank you Mister Zang sir but we-"

"I know why you came. My dear Katerina filled me in on your quest to steal my dagger from me. You may not have it." Zang said bluntly.

And here goes the hard way.

"The plan wasn't to steal it away since it wasn't yours in the first place." I said through gritted teeth.

This guy was starting to remind me of an overpowered Apollo.

"What he means is-

Zang suddenly jumped stopping Jason mid sentence.

Jason and I reached for our weapons.

"You Greeks.. greedy, immoral, self righteous…you both are tainted with evil." Zang said as his eyes gleamed with hate looking at the both of us.

"I am a god of the ground's treasures..gold, and gold is pure. And you are not pure."Zang said as his balled fist became inflamed with fire."

Jason and I both uncapped our weapons and dodged Zang's first attempt to roast us both as he roared fire.

Jason and I were now separated and as I looked around to make sure no one was injured, all the people had seemed to vanish and so now it was only me, Jason,

And an angry fire breathing dragon.

I tried to summon water to put out the flames that lit the floors but there was none around.

I hid behind a pillar Zang let out another roar of fire.

"I sense your fear and evil little gods. You cannot hide from me." Zang said.

I looked across the room to see Jason hiding behind a pillar and we locked eyes.

He nodded at me and I knew what he was about to do but before I could shout in protest he jumped from behind the pillow and blew a strong gust of air at the dragon hoping to blow the flames and push him out.

But it didn't.

Instead the dragon's roar of flames pushed back on the air and consumed Jason into the flames.

"No!" I shouted weakly as Jason screamed in agony until there was no more screaming.

And there was no more of Jason.

My eyes welled with tears but not tears of sadness, but anger.

This was my fault.

No this was the Gods' faults.

There would be no stupid quest or no stupid trident to retrieve if the Gods' weren't involved.

Pure rage took over my body as I ran out from behind my pillar to be met by another roar of Zhang's flames.

But i didn't care.

And it didn't hurt.

The flames tingled my skin as it brought riptide to the air and drove it down into the temple's ground making the earth crack beneath me and the dragon.

If I was going down, he was going down with me.

And then I was falling.

I didn't see Zhang fall in with me but I didn't care.

The fall into darkness was peaceful because for the first time in my life I knew exactly where I was going and what to expect.

Tarturus.

And as much as that place scared me. I was relieved, because my fight was over.

* * *

The land filled me with nostalgia.

I breathed in its hot thin air and I knew I was in Tartarus.

I lifted myself and surveyed my surroundings. I seemed to have fallen right into a cave that thankfully was not occupied by an angry titan, giant, or anyone else I've killed.

My skin twinged with pain because of the burns that I just realized I had.

Great.

I'm stuck in a place where the only water available to heal myself, burns, kills you, or makes you depressed.

"As if my will to live weren't already thin enough" Annabeth would say.

Annabeth.

No, I can't die in here.

I have Annabeth.

My fight isn't over, I have to find a way to get out of here.

Then, in the corner of my eye I saw a gleaming light.

Of course you're really not supposed to walk straight towards gleaming lights but this one was familiar and mesmerizing.

So of course I walked towards it.

It gleamed more and more with a pulse that seemed to match my own heartbeat until I saw it.

"The trident." I whispered to myself.

There, hovering in the middle of nowhere in Tartarus was Poseidon's missing trident glowing with glory calling my name as if it were apart of me.

I exercised no amount of caution as I walked closer the trident and it was only inches away from my hand until I was interrupted and snapped out of my daze by a piercing scream.. from a child.

I know this "child" might very well be a monster but as it cried out for help I hesitated.

I looked to the trident and to where the screaming was coming from and knew that if I took the trident, I could very well be on my way home with a magical wave of it and I could be with Annabeth and be done with all of this.

But I couldn't.

Instead I ran to find the screaming child.

After a minister of running through tunnels of the cave I found the child.

It was a girl curled up in the corner while more than 6 hellhounds surrounded her.

"Hey you inbred mutts!" I yelled, getting the hellhounds attention. They all turned to me.

"Pick on someone your own size." I said uncapping riptide as they dove onto me.

* * *

It was suffice to say that I ended up with more injuries that I started off with but I had successfully killed them all and turned my attention to the crying girl.

She was still curled up and her long dark hair covered her face. She couldn't be more than 12.

"Hey it's okay, they're gone now." I said gently.

The girl did not budge.

"Hey.." I said reaching out for her but I grasped nothing but air as the girl had disappeared.

"Percy." a girl's voice whispered in the air.

"Who is it." I said reaching for Riptide again.

"Percy." she whispered again and again.

Now it seemed like multiple people calling my name in the air.

"STOP!" I said closing my ears as it began to drive me insane.

"You're too late." They said in the air.

"Late for what!" I yelled back.

"Percy." They continued.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jerked back to see the crying girl with black demon like eyes.

"Wake up!" She said in a deeper voice that could not be hers.

* * *

I woke up to Jason in my face staring at me with concern in his bright blue eyes.

Wait.

Jason in my face!

"Percy you're awake! Thank the gods!" he said relieved.

"Jason you're alive!" I said sitting up.

"Yea you are too." Jason said helping me up to my feet.

We were now alone in the same temple, the temple I thought I had destroyed.

"But.. what happened?" I said confused.

I was positive I had seen Jason get barbecued among other things.

"I think it was a dream," he explained.

"saw some pretty unreal things." he said, frowning at the ground.

"Uh yeaa no, those burns.." I looked down to start protesting about my burns but there weren't any.

"Your friend is right." Said a familiar voice.

I turned to see Zhang with a bright smile.

I uncapped Riptide.

"Wait Percy-"

"Put down your weapon little god, I mean you no harm.. since you both passed the test."

I lowered Riptide but I didn't cap him.

"What test?" I said, frowning.

"You noticed my different appearance from the underworld deities didn't you both?" he said walking around us.

"Who wouldn't." I scoffed.

"But you don't know why." he said simply.

That I didn't know.

"I protect all the things under the earth. The untouched, pure items in this world. Of course I enjoy other treasures that are above my domain like any other dragon would but I believe in the pure and I protect the pure. And before any mortal lays there hands on my treasure, especially such a dangerous evil tainted item like Cassius' dagger, you both had to be proven pure too."

Of course it was a test.

The only way to see if we could get the knife was to send us through a hellacious test.

"But I thought Katerina already determined that." Jason asked, completely unfazed about what he said.

"My heir seems to have a crush on you, and it was not her place to determine such a thing." Zhang said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Wasn't it Katerina." he said but Katerina was not in the room.

"I suppose not father." Katerina said appearing on the wall leaning on it and looking as if she reached her peak of boredom.

"But I was correct." she pointed out.

Zhang frowned at his daughter.

"Great. Can we get the dagger now since we've been dubbed "good enough"" I said annoyed at this whole experience.

Zhang looked back at me and stared.

"Beware of your heart little god, it's dangerous emotions have set you up for dangerous situations." he said with wisdom.

I didn't know what that was supposed to mean and it was kinda hard to take advice from a deity that looked like a 16 year old but I nodded.

"To you Jason Grace, the leader of your quest I give you Cassius' dagger." Zhang said snapping his fingers and Jason's hand now held a golden dagger.

"But beware, only you both can touch this item, for others it will consume them with rage,envy,and hate." He said with seriousness.

"Thank you Zhang, and we will take great care of it." Jason said.

Zhang nodded.

"Katerina, could you escort these two back to their ship safely." He asked.

"My pleasure." Katerina said with a smile as she pushed herself off the wall.

"And Perseus," Zhang said carefully.

"Try not to make the same mistake twice." He said looking at me with a hint of uneasiness.

"Uh okay?" I said confused.

"Shall we boys.." Katerina said, linking arms with us both.

Zhang frown was the last thing I saw but couldn't say anything because then there was darkness.

* * *

We landed right on top of what I guess was dinner as Leo let out a cry as I peeled off his pizza off my shoe.

Piper just started to glare at Katerina who was still linking on arms with Jason and Annabeth..

Annabeth was looking at me.

Her eyes seemed to say 'I'm glad you're alive' but the words did not come out.

I continued to look at her too.

Katerina had proceeded to jump off the table and had a standoff with Piper.

"So you're Piper." Katerina said looking Piper up and down.

"Yes. And you are." Piper said, gritting her teeth.

"Katerina,Princess of the Underworld." she said as if she was waiting to be able to announce that.

"Er Katerina thanks for your help but maybe you should go now.." Jason said with uneasiness.

"My pizza.." Leo said sadly looking down at his plate.

Annabeth broke eye contact with me and left the room.

I called after her but she didn't turn.

"Ooo drama," Katerina said and then turned to Jason.

"And actually no, I'm staying."

"What!" We all said, Piper with anger, Jason with uncertainty, and I with confusion.

"I'm here to help Jason retrieve the Apple of Discord." Katerina said as she started to walk towards the door.

"Now could you show me to my room Jason.." Katerina said flirtatiously and broke out her pearly whites.

"OH HELL NO!"


	11. Does The Disguise Ever Really Come Off?

**Does The Disguise Ever Really Come Off?**

_Percy_

I jolted up from my bed as I heard the voice from my dreams call my name again.

I hoped as soon as I woke up the voice would stop but it did not.

I decided to follow it, as I knew it was pulling me to something and I could not resist.

_Percy_

The voice became louder as I walked down the hall and came into the deck.

It was guiding me to the lounge room.. where we left the dagger.

I knew that it was calling me and it had no good intentions but I was drawn to it.

Besides, Zang said only me and Jason could touch it so could anything bad really happen if it was in my possession?

I reached the lounge room and saw the dagger in all its evil glory in the middle of the table.

I walked closer to it, and each careful step I took my inhibitions lowered even more.

It was now i'm grasping reach and I knew it was mine-

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice said coming from the far right. There I saw feline green eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Katerina." I said pulling my hand back, snapping myself out of the daze.

"The one and only." she said jumping of whatever she had herself perched on.

"What are you doing here?" I asked carefully.

"I think I should be asking you that question Percy." she said looking at her nails with distaste.

"But I think you and I both know the answer." she said, looking at me knowingly.

"It-it called me. And I had to follow. But nothing bad could happen right? Since I'm a chosen one or whatever right?" I said but really was asking because I had no idea what had happened.

Katerina proceeded by combing through her hair with her hands which I had no doubt worked perfectly as a substitute for a comb considering how sharp and long her nails were.

"The chosen ones can hold the dagger, but they also endure the most temptation." she said, still looking at her hair.

"Depending how tainted that particular chosen one is." She said looking at me pointedly.

"And what's that supposed to mean." I said scoffing.

She stopped combing her hair and yawned.

"It means, Percy Jackson, that through all your hellacious adventures you have gathered a good collection of darkness,corruption, etc. to the soul so yea, you might be a chosen one but if I had left you alone with that dagger there would be no quest to save Olympus from your mysterious lurking adversaries, there would be a quest to save Olympus from _you_." Katerina said, her pupils narrower than before.

"You might be the hero today Percy, but this is just a temporary disguise, because I am willing to bet my tail that if one of your little friends happened to take a trip to Hades or something just didn't go quite your way, _you_ would be the monster." Katerina said, pointing her finger to my chest.

Her nail dug into my skin.

She stared at me and I stared back until she scoffed and removed her hand and began to walk out of the room.

"I'm sorry." I blurted out, because I knew it needed to be said.

Her ears perked and she stopped for a second.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing too." she said then walking away.

Who I should be apologizing to, I had no idea.

* * *

We all had gathered in the lounge room in the morning and I would be lying if I said that there was no tension.

I would say you cut the tension with a knife but the only knife we had besides our own, sat in the middle of the table and no one could use that without going all killy and stabby.

Today, Jason had sat at the head of the table because he had arrived first but he was beginning to wish he hadn't because Piper had sat to his right, as normal, but today she was glaring daggers, well thankfully not actual daggers, at Katerina who sat to Jason's left and did not waste any opportunity to flirt shamelessly with him.

Jason looked like he wanted to turn into a cloud and float away into the sky which as a son of Jupiter. I wouldn't be surprised if he could do that.

Annabeth sat to Piper's left and was looking through her notes but you could feel the anger fuming off of her.

Annabeth had been fuming for a few days now and a fuming Annabeth that had been simmering for this long was bound to blow and I was going to be the one that made her blow.

Yay.

Leo was the only one who seemed content as her tinkered with something in his hand as sat in complete silence, minus the loud tapping of his foot.

"Uh, if everyone wouldn't mind, I'd appreciate if we got to it." Jason said timidly as he look back in forth between Katerina and Piper.

"I agree Jason." Katerina said with a dazzling smiling.

Piper gritted her teeth.

Jason swallowed

"Ahem. Yes well we've retrieved Cassius' dagger and now we should proceed with Percy's quest. Getting in contact with Nereus, which Annabeth will accompany him with...right?" Jason said looking between Annabeth and I.

"Er..Annabeth?" I said, looking at her.

She didn't look back up to me but I knew she felt my eyes.

"Yes I will accompany Percy on this part of the quest and afterwards I will help you with your last two items." Annabeth said, looking at Jason.

"Okay then, so Percy after Nereus, the rest of us will be going to find the apple of discord, with Piper's help," he said nodding to Piper as she nodded proudly.

"I have a feeling that my dagger, which was Helen's, can help, if I can't get in touch with my mother." Piper said

That was the first time I had ever seen Piper be glad to be associated with Aphrodite and it was even more surprising that she was proud to be associated with the cause of a terrible thing like the Trojan War.

But I guess she thought this would outdue Katerina and it worked as the kitsune proceeded to scoff.

"Great," Jason said nodding.

"Then we'll proceed with finding Kronos' scythe." Jason said.

"You should ask Chiron, maybe he'll have some ideas." I said.

Chiron, as we all knew, is a child of Kronos, not that he went around bragging about it.

"I will, but, do you think you'll be okay on your own?" Jason asked me.

All eyes were on me now, including Annabeth's.

"Yea.. I think I will be." I said convincing enough but I was totally convinced myself.

"Okay. Good, Leo take us to San Francisco, somewhere with a pier or dock, a smelly one." Jason said.

"On it. But Percy, I've been workin' on something just in case all communications wanna go down again then we have our own little way." He said handing me the thing he had been fidgeting with.

It was black rectangle that appeared to be a phone and on the back of it had a delta sign, signature for Daedalus' work.

"It's a phone for demigods, so we don't have to worry about a hellhound or chupacabra coming to kill us when we use it. Annabeth loaned me some of Daedalus' research on it so I thought it was only appropriate to give him the credit." Leo said tapping his phone anxiously.

"Thanks guys." I said looking to Annabeth and Leo, Annabeth just nodded curtly.

"Yea no problem, pretty self explanatory and its pretty hard to break and returns to your pocket if you drop it or something so it's demigod proof so even you should be able to handle it." Leo said.

I tried not to be offended.

"Wait can I have one!" Katerina asked jumping up.

"No!" Piper said aggressively as they been to glare eachother down again.

"Oookay, let's get outta here people." Jason said nervously.

Great.

Now I was stuck with my very angry girlfriend on a part of the quest that she and only she could help me with.

I say once again.

Yay.

* * *

Leo dropped us off at a pier and they took the Argo II into the air awaiting our signal from my new phone to pick us up.

"So you've met him before. Where could he be." Annabeth said pointing out to the vast pier of homeless people.

I was unaware of how I was going to get through this mission with Annabeth acting like a ticking time bomb but Aphrodite must have been in a good mood today because I had an idea.

"Well first, we have to get into disguise." I said slyly.

"Disguise?" She said raising her eyebrow and crossing her arms.

A classic Annabeth move.

"A disguise." I said with all seriousness.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Percy we have no time for games—"

"No but I'm serious!" I said innocently.

"When we were trying to find you I had to put on a disguise just to get close to Nereus." I said still trying to be serious.

Annabeth signed and looked around.

"There's a tourist store over there..I suppose there is no harm in disguising ourselves.." She said frowning.

"Good." I said giving her a goofy smile, the one I knew she loved.

"After you M'lady," I said bowing.

She then pushed me into the river and began to walk off but I'd say we were off to a good start as I could her smiling as she walked off and tried to hold in her laughter.

* * *

"Okay. I think the only successful way to go about this is to pick each other's clothes and come back in five minutes and switch off." I said surveying the area.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain." she said trying not to smile.

"Oh you don't think you can come up with a better disguise? I accept your forfeit." I said baiting her.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You're on, Seaweed Brain." she said and then took off in the store.

"That's not fair Wise Girl!" I yelled after her, recovering some looks.

* * *

"This is unacceptable." Annabeth said coming out the dressing room.

"You should call this a failure and quit." She said looking down to my masterpiece.

I had dressed her in an obnoxious big tan beach hat that dropped down on all sides, a neon green "I LOVE AND SPEAK FOR THE TURTLES" shirt and capri camouflage shorts.

"Well I think this couldn't get any better." I said holding in my laughter.

She glared at me.

"This defeats the purpose of a disguise! I'll attract more attention!" She said trying to uplift her hat.

I got up and met her face to face, she looked up at me trying her best to keep the droopy hat out of her face.

"Disguise or not. I think you'd do that all on your own Wisegirl." I said as her grey eye twinkled.

"And I think you're right." I said removing the big floppy hat off her head.

"The hat doesn't go, then no one could see your gorgeous hair." I said smiling.

"It should be covered up. To blend in with the crowd." She said quietly as she looked down at my lips and back up.

"Correction then. I want to see your gorgeous hair I said gently, pulling back one of her curls that were in her face.

She looked down and averted her eyes but I pulled her chin back up.

I leaned in looking at her pink lips that I hadn't touch in what had seemed to be forever.

And then I kissed a pair of jeans.

"Your turn!" Annabeth said dropping the clothes in my hands and sat down.

I looked at her in awe.

"Well go on. I would like to win in a timely fashion." she said smiling.

"Like Hades." I said scoffing and made my way to the dressing room.

* * *

After a considerably long debate, it was decided that Annabeth had one the disguise contest.

She had dressed me in a fishing hat where she tucked all my hair into, since my signature Poseidon dark hair was distinguishable, her words not mine, a brown mustache, and raggedy jean jacket which I had no idea where she found it, and blue jeans to match.

I look like a 70s middle aged man.

We were now walking down the pier to find any suspicious immortal stinky dirty looking homeless men.

"So.." I said twirling my mustache.

"Considering your choice to add a mustache to my disguise, I presume you would like me to grow one." I said continuing to twirl the unfamiliar substance on my face.

Annabeth laughed. The first full hearted laugh I had heard from her in a while.

"It's to distract people from your eyes, Seaweed Brain." She said blushing.

"Ah yes, my totally dreamy dazzling eyes." I said flashing her smile.

She playfully pushed me.

"Or the fact you're more likely to get recognized with the same sea green eyes all sons of Poseidon have." She said laughing.

"You do have a point, but you can deny that the ladies can't get enough of this signature Poseidon style." I said popping the color of my jean jacket.

She rolled her eyes and continued to laugh.

"Speaking of ladies.." She said as her laughter came down.

"Katerina-"

"Well I wouldn't call her a lady."

"What do you think of her?" she asked with curiosity in her eyes.

"You're asking for Piper." I said.

"No!" she said quickly.

I raised my brow.

"Well yes but also because she's.. I don't know but Piper told me what Jason told her, how her mother was killed by Greeks, and it's hard to believe she just got over that. Plus I was researching what she is, a kitsune, and they're known for being deceivers." she said with uneasiness.

"You're right." I said, Annabeth looked surprised at my quickness to agree with her.

"I am." She nodded.

"But then again. you could say the Greeks ruined our lives too, you spent your early years as a runaway and I spent a lot of years being the main guy in two Great Prophecies." I said matter of factly.

Annabeth frowned.

"Well yea but we aren't-"

"Deceivers? Hermes is literally the god of that and so are his kids and the gods are experts at it.But you weren't going to say deceivers, you were going to say we aren't monsters, well we are to her." I said, frowning at the ground.

"Percy, I know everything with a tail, fangs or one eye are monsters, Tyson is a real life example. But you still think we can trust her?" Annabeth asked.

"I believe she wants things to change, and she's here to make sure some of that happens, and believe me I know it's hard to trust her considering she doesn't even like me." I said scoffing.

"Well you are a Greek too." she said.

"I know but, she just acts like she has a personal vendetta against me, and she keeps dropping these hints and I don't know what they mean." I said throwing my hands in the air dramatically.

"Maybe one of your siblings did something to her, or even your dad." Annabeth said.

"It could be that.. but I don't know what it is.." I said.

"Wait." Annabeth said, stopping.

"What's that smell." she said scrunching her nose.

I smelled the air and looked the way it was coming from.

"That would The Old Man of The Sea." I said smiling as I looked straight ahead to a homeless man that looked like Santa Claus with a fishing pole.

"C'mon. Let's go get some answers."

* * *


	12. Don’t Get Lost On the Way Home

**Don't Get Lost On the Way Home**

"So we should probably come up with a game plan, you approach him from the left and I'll go ri-Wait Percy what are you doing!"

I had already started walking and Annabeth scurried along behind me cursing me out in Greek in whispers.

Nereus sat on the edge of the pier, fishing pole in hand and looked out to the water in serenity.

Serenity that I probably was going to have to break.

We were both now only a couple of feet away from the god and Annabeth signaled for me to go left.

"Don't even bother." he said aloud, still looking out to the water.

Annabeth and I paused and looked at eachother wide eyed.

"How-How did you-" Annabeth began to say.

"Please." The old god scoffed, turning around.

Then I saw his whole face, he had looked different since our last meeting years ago.

His blue eyes were now more sad,like after a terrible sea storm.

"Of course I would recognize the smell of sea spawn, fool me one shame on you, fool me twice, I have to turn you into a dolphin."

I frowned.

"I don't think that's how the saying goes."

"So the big one finally came huh." Nereus said going back to his fishing.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth questioned.

Nereus laughed and then looked at me.

"Ya mean to tell me ya can't feel it! Tell me, when's the last time you've seen a naiad or nymph walking around." He said and then shook his head.

"Ya think the sea spawn would know what was going on in his own domain if not any other." Nereus said tsking.

He was right, these past few months, naiads and nymphs had slowly stop coming around camp and when I was in water, they never appeared.

I had been so happy with Annabeth that I had probably convinced myself nothing was wrong.

"It is good to see you though Daughter of Athena. I have always admired your mother's mind and I hear you share it greatly." Nereus said nodding to Annabeth.

Annabeth glowed with pride.

"Thank you M'Lord." Annabeth said politely.

Nereus made a noise that sounded like a snort.

"Bah! M'lord! Ha! Haven't been called or treated like one in a millennium! I'm just everyone's personal fortune cookie!" Nereus said, reeling his fishing pole in while laughing.

"Uh..Speaking of that.." I began nervously.

"Oh I know what you're here for Percy Jackson, you need to know about the location of the Trident." Nereus said while he continued to reel in his line.

"Well yes that would be nice-"

"I don't know where the trident is."

"Of course you don't."

"But I do know who might.. and you do too." Nereus said looking back to me with a glint in his eyes.

"What's he talking about Percy?" Annabeth asked me.

I thought back to the dream I had days ago.

"Atreo, King of the Telchiniae." I said.

"Indeed." Nereus said, looking back to the water and reeled in a little more.

"Who?" Annabeth said.

"Atreo is the telchinie that made Poseidon's trident, and probably the other two weapons too. He was banished and cursed to the mortal world for supposedly conspiring against Zeus." I said to Annabeth.

"But how can even be alive, that was eons ago." I said to Nereus.

"His curse, it gave him immortality, so he could suffer without his great ability and never be with his kind again." Nereus said simply.

"That's terrible." Annabeth whispered.

"Just another flick of the hand from the gods." Nereus said sadly.

"But you are a god." I said.

"True." Nereus said and then turned around.

"I do have the immortality and extent of power but tell me son of Poseidon. Do I look like a god to you." He said.

Truth be told he didn't, he didn't look like one when I first met him and he didn't look like one now, and he didn't really act like one either.

He lived in solitary, until the next demigod came to wrestle an answer out of him, and he didn't have the arrogant entitled way about him that all gods do.

Even my own father.

"And why is it that you don't look like one?"Annabeth asked curiously.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you are curious Daughter of Athena but I should not speak bad about other gods.. don't wanna get smite anytime soon." he said with a chuckle.

"But as I was saying, yes, Atreo, you should find him in Anatolia—or I guess you call it Asia, yes in China, he runs an international business there." Nereus said

"Oh. Er..thanks I guess." I said scratching the back of my head wondering why this was so easy but I wasn't going to ask and mess it up.

Things were never this easy.

"Why are you making this so easy?" Annabeth questioned.

She had to ask.

Nereus stopped reeling, in fact I didn't know how there was still a line to reel.

"Dark times ahead my dear. Darker than we've ever seen and our world can't afford to be on a different sides anymore...Like Lady Hera said, it's time to truly unite our world.. it's been broken long enough." Nereus said sadly.

"Thank you.. for your help Nereus." I said to him.

He nodded but didn't look back.

"Cmon Percy, let's go." Annabeth whispered to me and began to walk away.

I stood for a second and looked into the water and scanned through it.

"There's no fish in there you know." I told Nereus.

"Indeed Percy Jackson. And this place used to be a fisherman's favorite place to go up until a few weeks ago. Makes you wonder where all the fish went." Nereus said slinging his pole farther out into the water.

"Something must've scared them off." I said.

Nereus looked back and gave a crooked smile, that didn't seem all that genuine.

"Or _someone_."

* * *

We were now in the rendezvous point and I had signaled Leo to come to us.

Annabeth and I stood in silence.

"Annabeth.." I said carefully.

She looked to me.

"I'm not coming on board with you, I'm going on my own." I said trying my best to mean it.

She rolled her eyes angrily.

"Not this again! You're not leaving! This is a team! We are a-"

"Annabeth I have to do this on my own-"

"NO Percy!" she said as her eyes swelled up with tears.

"You are not leaving me again! You are not putting me through that again! We went through literal _hell_ together! I need you! You need me!"

"Don't you think I know that!" I yelled making a wave that pushed out to the water.

"I know I need you! I know all what we've been through and I can't Annabeth!" I said putting my hands behind my head.

My eyes became involuntarily blurry with salty water.

"Can't what Percy!" Annabeth said throwing her hands in the air.

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU!" I said, throwing my hands down, causing another big wave that this time knocked over a smaller boat that hopefully had no one in it.

"But you have me Percy! I don't understand! You have me and you're _choosing_ to leave!" Annabeth said coming closer.

I backed away.

"No Annabeth. No, no..no.. you don't get it! I _love_ you!"

"And I love you!"

"No you still don't get it!" I said throwing my hands in the air.

"I went to Tarturus for you! I _love_ you! And I can't lose you! I can't have you by my side! Not when the risk is this big this time!.. I can _die_ doing this quest Annabeth! You heard Nereus! This is our biggest threat yet! And if you-" My voice broke.

"If you die Annabeth, I will lose all the fight in me that I have left..I can't lose you Annabeth.. you are my heart. I love you and I can't lose you." I said as the salty water dropped onto my face.

Annabeth stepped closer.

"We are a team Percy.. I am your heart, well you are my armor. I can't go on without you, I can't help Jason with his quest—hell I can't live without you! _Please_ don't leave me again.. You promised you wouldn't leave me again.." She sobbed while she grabbed my hands.

"It hurts Percy..And I can't get through it without you.. I can't go through all this pain and trouble again without you. Don't leave me Percy, everyone has already left me, _please_ don't leave me." she said quietly.

Annabeth's eyes were no longer stormy grey but a lighter duller grey that pleaded to me.

I looked at her back with the same look.

She then looked down and let go off my hands as if she gave up

"Come back.. okay Percy? Come back when all of this is done. Just..come back." Annabeth said looking away from me.

"I swear-"

She interrupted by placing a kiss on my lips.

I kissed her back and for a few seconds we stayed like that. Wanting it to be forever.

She broke apart but held her hand on my face.

"I love you Percy Jackson." she said with sadness.

"I love you Annabeth Chase." I said with the same sadness.

She looked up at me with her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes tear filled that we're trying their best not to come down onto her face.

"Go." she said looking away and breaking away from our embrace.

"Annabeth-" I said, grabbing her hand.

"Just go Percy.. please." she said, struggling to keep her voice from breaking.

I turned away but my hand still clung to hers.

"I'm coming back Annabeth, just for you.. I'm coming back."

And then I let go.

* * *

I held the phone to my face as it rang.

I was scared she wouldn't answer until I heard it pick up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey Mom." I said with a smile on my face.

"Percy? Where are you calling from? You know it's not safe for you to call-"

"I got it handled Mom. I just needed to hear your voice." I said sadly.

There was a pause.

"What's going on Percy?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh y'know.. another Great Prophecy that the Fates couldn't help but put me in." I said trying to sound humorous.

I heard her sigh.

"Could I convince you that it's not life or death and I could talk you into coming home." she said hopefully.

"No mom." I said forcing a laugh.

She sighed again.

"Of course not. You never back down from a fight. So where are you headed now?" She asked.

"China, never been, should be fun."

"How will you get there?"

"Blackjack probably for most of the way and then I'll just improvise."

"Sounds like a Percy plan." she said, giving a little laugh to lighten the mood.

"You know it." I said smiling.

There was a silent moment.

"This one is more dangerous. I can feel it." Mom said.

I stayed silent.

Afraid to agree with her.

"Just.. don't forget to come home Percy." Mom said, her voice broke a little.

"I won't Mom."

"I won't."


	13. Why We Don’t Go To St Louis

**Why We Don't Go To St. Louis**

St.Louis was not a site for sore eyes. It gave me tremendous dejá vu of jumping off the Arch and the fact that it was almost destroyed because I woke up Typhon because I, the consistent person I am, decided to jump off another historic landmark, Mt. St.Helens.

_Is this place okay boss?_

Blackjack had agreed full heartedly to help transport me to China but by the time we entered the Midwest, I sensed he was getting tired so I decided to stop in St. Louis.

Yay.

I looked down and saw a farm with a nice sized farmhouse.

"Yeah Blackjack, let's stop here."

Blackjack landed feet away from the farmhouse and it coincidentally had an apple tree 50 for away from it.

_No donuts but I guess this will do.._

He sounded disappointed but I knew he was secretly satisfied.

I opened the farmhouse, well after I broke the lock, I would have to later compensate the owners for that, and inside it was empty, just filled with hay.

I gave a pleasant sigh at my luck and collapsed on the floor and drifted into my dreams.

* * *

"So he really left huh." Piper said softly to Annabeth.

The two were in Annabeth's room and it looked like it was around 10 at night.

Annabeth looked down sadly and fiddled with the necklace I gave her that she was wearing.

"I know he did it because he was trying to be the hero and keep me and everyone safe but-"

"You're tired of him being the hero." Piper said as if she herself meant those words.

Annabeth nodded.

"I thought we were done with all this..I thought we could finally be.. or have some sense of normalcy. A-And now he's gone off to what! Become a prince?!" Annabeth said angrily.

"Become a prince to save the world..again." she said sadly.

Piper was about to say something but on her side, Katropis shimmered.

She looked down at it and Annabeth.

Whatever Piper said next it was replaced by a loud neigh and when my eyes opened, I was greeted with a big steel fork pressed to my throat by a girl.

"What are _you_ doing here." She said with disgust and anger.

* * *

I didn't really get a good look at a Angry Fork Girl because of the blinding sun in my eye that snuck through the open farm doors, yes that's what I was calling her since before introducing herself properly and saying "Hello Stranger! I'm Farmer Girl! I have anger management problems so it probably wasn't a good idea for you to camp out here but anyways, what's your name!", she simply pressed a big fork against my throat.

From what I could see, she had dark, or maybe light brown eyes, light brown skin, and she definitely had curly brown hair, she looked to be about 16.

"I said, what are you doing here!" She asked angrily.

Blackjack was going crazy in the background.

_Whadya want me to do here boss!_

_Tackle her?_

_Bite the hair?_

_Side hoof kick?_

_Upper hoof kick?_

_Upper hoof kick combo?_

"No it's fine, Blackjack I got this.." I mumbled.

Angry Fork Girl scoffed.

"Unless you want this fork to explore your insides, ya better start answerin' some questions." Angry Fork Girl said with a hint of a midwestern accent.

"Er..I'm Percy Jackson-"

"I know who you are." Angry Fork Girl said, well, angrily.

"I asked what you 're doing here."

This is when I was really confused.

Normally only monsters had an ugly reaction when we met and they knew who I was, but if she was a monster, I'd be dead already.

The only other people who knew who I was were demigods, gods, and other friendly creatures.

Angry Fork Girl did not look like a friendly creature nor a god so she was-

"You're a demigod. But how do you know who I am." I said, scrunching my eyebrows trying to figure out who her parent was.

"Everyone knows who _Percy Jackson _is." Angry Fork Girl said fake fawning over my name.

She rolled her eyes and I took this opportunity to take out Riptide, cut the fork in half and swept at Angry Fork Girl's feet knocking her down and held Riptide at her throat.

"Hi. Sorry for breaking into your farm but I'm pretty sure I'm not welcomed in your city. As you know I'm Percy Jackson so who are you."

The girl huffed and rolled her eyes.

"My name is Valerie Glen, daughter of Demeter." Valerie said while glaring at me.

"Alrighty then Valerie Glen, hey that rhymed, anyways, what did I do to you to make you go fork crazy on me, besides me breaking into your farm." I asked.

Valerie flashed a sarcastic smile.

"I'm glad you asked." she said getting up as if I still didn't have a sword to her neck.

"You, Percy Jackson, destroyed my home."

* * *

"Wait wait wait, so I didn't actually destroy your home, Typhon did?" I said carefully.

I now walked with Valerie as she did her morning chores around the farm and begrudgingly helped her.

"Hold the pales right or the milk will tilt over! And no! It's your fault that my home was destroyed." she snapped.

"Oh." I said with guilt.

I had always felt bad for technically being responsible for waking up Typhon and being the cause of slot of destruction in the Midwest but I didn't really think how it impacted people's lives.

"Yeah-_oh._" she said in a mocking tone.

I frowned.

"Well you don't seem that upset for a person whose house was destroyed."I said raising my brow.

"Well that's because your Lord Hermes did damage control and set us up here."

"Well that was awfully nice of him."

"But he didn't get to replacing the years worth of crop or flowers."

"Oh."

"Yeah-_oh_" she said mocking me once again.

"Hey look, I'm-"

"VALLERIEEE!" A feminine voice said ahead in a singy song voice.

Valerie paled.

"Oh gods no." she mumbled.

Ahead was a drop dead gorgeous girl.

She was no Annabeth's of course but a goddess would be jealous of this girl.

She was tall, like a model, and had wavy auburn hair that fell to her back and like Valerie she had light brown skin and as she got closer I saw her warm chocolate brown eyes that had flecks of gold in them. She looked around my age.

She was wearing a white blouse and shorts and looked effortlessly beautiful in it.

She skipped closer to us and when I say skip, she skipped.

"Don't say anything okay." Valerie said but it sounded like she was pleading.

I was going to ask why but she had approached.

She smelled like flowers.

"Hey little sister." she squeeled with a delight with a bright smile as she swung both her arms around her sister.

"Sister?!" I said in shock as I looked at the two.

I guess it wasn't totally a shock that they were sisters but besides their totally different personalities, Valerie's sister had subtle differences in her aura and looks.

"Yea me and Val are sisters, who are you?" She said curiously.

"Izzy meet Percy Jackson, the one that destroyed our home." Valerie said with a smug look on her face, I didn't expect rainbows and sunshine from her sister now.

Izzy looked at me up and down and then flashed a bright smile.

"Well, you're way hotter than I thought you'd be." Izzy said twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Izzy." Valerie fumed

"What!"

"Uh, thanks." I said nervously.

"You're welcome." Izzy said and then stepped closer.

"You're not here to destroy our house again, are you?" she said looking down and back up again.

"Izzy." Valerie said once again with her teeth gritted.

I blushed and felt a tingling sensation in my stomach that I felt with only a few people, Calypso, Rachel, Annabeth, and Aphrodite.

"You aren't a child of Demeter, are you?" I asked as Izzy stepped away.

"And you're smart too! Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Izzy's mother is Aphrodite." Valerie said rolling her eyes.

Suddenly it all made since, their complete differences in personality, aura, and looks in some areas.

"Wait, so your father uh.. with two goddesses?!"

I had only known of one instance where a mortal attracted the attention of two gods and that was Beryl Grace, Jason and Thalia's mother but even then, their mother had just attracted a different version of Zeus.

"Daddy plants the beautifulest-"

"That's not a word."

"flowers in the midwest." Izzy continued, ignoring Valerie's interjection.

"He caught the attention of mom one day and then boom! They had me! So romantic!"

"Not really-"

"And then a year later, Daddy was in the farmers market and Demeter was admiring Daddy's strawberries and then boom! Val! Not as romantic but not every love story can be." Izzy said, shrugging.

Izzy looked back at me.

"But you never answered my question handsome." Izzy said pointing her hahn's to my chest.

"Er,well yes I have a girlfriend-"

"No not that question, I know you do, guys have a hard time staying away so I know when they're heart is taken by another. It really gets exhausting though." she said, sighing.

"Anyways, why are you here?" she said carefully.

"I was getting to that if you hadn't interrupted-"

"Oh please, you were flirting with him."

"I was not!"

"Was too."

"Airhead!"

"Dirt muncher!"

"Hopeless Romantic!"

"I don't see how that's an insult!"

"Of course you don't!"

"Why you little-"

"Hey!" I said coming in between the sisters.

"I would love to tell you why I'm here but you guys have to stop fighting!" I said and then my stomach growled.

"And maybe you guys have food to spare?" I asked nervously.

"I'll make pancakes!" Izzy said gleefully and began to skip to her house.

I knew I shouldn't have stopped in St.Louis.

* * *

**Hey guys, as you can tell, I'm trying to update more consistently so yay to that and for those of you missing Percabeth, have no fear. Percabeth is forever. I just gotta add a little flavor.**

**REVIEW! PLEASE REVIEW!**


	14. Thank You

**Thank You **

I remember Malcom's last words to me were thank you.

These two words were foreign to me.

I have been a part of two big prophecies to save the world and I never really got a thank you and didn't expect one. Partially because I knew I was never getting one from a god and because I had to do it.

There were only two choices, I save the world or I end it.

Somehow I always saved it.

Sure a part of me was bitter that I never got a proper thank you but a part of me wonders if I ever deserve that thank you.

Do I deserve Malcom's thank you for trying to save the world again?

Because it felt like the world kept needing saving and I was just a first responder to disaster. A never ending cycle.

And until I had met Valerie and her sister, I didn't know how much disaster I caused trying to earn that thank you.

I thought back to what Katerina said, that I might one day or have already been the villain to our story. A part of me wonders if I'm a part of the never ending cycle of disaster.

"So you have to say the world..again." Valerie said frowning as if me saving the world was a bad thing.

"Uh yeah that's the goal."

"And you have to be in China to talk to a sea monster."

"Actually a telchiniae king but-"

"Sounds like a sea monster."

"Here ya go!" Izzy said placing a plate of funny looking pancakes in front of me and Valerie.

"Er..Thanks." I said carefully as I took a bite of the crunchy pancake and then washed it down with orange juice.

"Delicious." I said giving a thumbs up trying to be polite.

She smiled.

"Thank god you're pretty." Valerie said looking at her pancakes with disgust.

Izzy rolled her eyes, she somehow did that pretty too.

"Honestly I don't know why you act so ungrateful and have such a dingy aura around you-"

"Ah dingy, another word added to your vocabulary." Valerie mumbled.

Izzy slammed her hand down on the table.

"Why do you treat me like that! You treat me like I'm a dimwitted airhead that you have been cursed to live with and that I can never understand the life and complexities of Valerie Glen! I know you think I forgot about him and that I constantly live in rainbows and sunshine land-"

"Don't." Valerie said through gritted teeth.

"But I didn't! I just moved on! Because he made his choice! He knew what he was getting into it and it's not my fault that he's dead!"

"SHUT UP!" Valerie said standing to her feet.

Tears ran down her face.

"You don't get it." she said angrily as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"And you don't ever get to say it's his fault.. because we both know who's fault it really was." Valerie said snapping her head to me.

Her eyes looked at me with sadness and hatred.

She then took off running upstairs.

Izzy sighed and collapsed in a chair like that argument took all her energy.

I fidgeted nervously.

"She blames you." Izzy said quietly.

"For killing Benji." she said.

"I don't think I did."

"He was on Princess Andromeda when you and your friend blew it up."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"He was a son of Hermes, he was Vals age and they were really close."

I winced at the fact that he was a son of Hermes, knowing I failed another one of them.

"He was claimed?" I said regaining my composure.

Valerie shook her head.

"Not formally but, his mom told him like our dad did.When his mom died, we took him in, until he ran away to Camp Halfblood searching for answers and he found Luke." Izzy said sadness and bitterness as she looked off into the room like she was reminiscing.

"He was always so angry that his dad never claimed him or tried to get in contact with him but I thought it was just bitterness that would go away with age. But it didn't. He only came back one time to say he was getting justice for all the forgotten demigods, with Luke, son of Hermes, only later did we find out what had really happened."

This kids story sounded so familiar to Luke's that it was scary, it was another

"So all this really is my fault." I said as guilt weighed down on me.

"It's the gods' fault." Izzy said blatantly.

I paused wondering if Zeus would strike her down but he didn't.

"You didn't know what you we're doing, you we're just helping your family, but I won't lie and say you didn't hurt my family in the process." she said.

The way she said as if she wasn't apart of the same family full of lunatic gods made me squirm.

Izzy stood up.

"But, that doesn't mean I won't help you save the world, I have a way to get you to where you need to be." She leaned towards me and wiggled her nose.

"But you first you need to take a shower and somenew clothes, you stink"

* * *

Valerie had sat out a plain green t-shirt and blue jeans for me that looked kind of worn, it probably was their dads. I went downstairs and gobbled down the breakfast, which was not as bad as it looked, besides a few egg shells every now and then, Izzy and I headed out the house.

"Valerie isn't going with us?" I asked stopping.

Izzy shook her head.

"It would be better if she didn't, where we're going at least."

"Where are we going?" I asked anxiously.

"To see Jack." she said carefully.

"Who is that?"

Izzy shifted uncomfortably.

"Benji's brother."

* * *

Izzy had gone to her neighbors house and charmspeaked him into lending us his car to which he obliged greatly while offering all of his chickens and pigs.

We were now in the car in complete silence.

To be honest Izzy had seemed like the chatty type which I think she still is but I could see her mind was on other things, like her sister.

"Where's your dad?" I asked, trying to break the ice.

"He's in the city, trying to sell all the crops we have, crops have had a tendency of dying lately, I don't suppose you're responsible for that?" Izzy said jokingly but I could tell it partially wasn't.

"Ha no.." I said nervously.

"The naiads, nymphs and other wildlife creatures have been hiding, something is coming."

"Well when this something comes, please tell it to kindly stop killing my crops."

I laughed lightly.

"Y'know I don't know too many charmspeakers, only two demigod ones I know of in fact, they're pretty powerful." I said.

Izzy shrugged her shoulders.

"I try not to use it, sometimes it gets out of control, you saw how Mr.Young acted, not the first time he's tried giving me his animals, one time he gave me the deed to his house."

"Well we teach in Camp Half Blood how to control our powers, I know I was out of control when I first started, I still have my moments." I thought back to what happened in Tartarus with Akhyls.

I didn't like to think about that.

"I don't think I belong there," Izzy said nervously. She started to tap her hand on the wheel as we approached a red light.

"What do you mean?"

Izzy looked at me.

"I mean that I was never claimed, and I probably won't ever be, no one was sent for me and no one cares that I'm a child of Aphrodite with dumb problems like 'I don't know how to stop my neighbor from giving me the deed to his house.' As far as I'm concerned, I don't exist outside of this state, especially to people like you." She said bitterly.

"What do you mean people like me?"

"People who have it all, you got your cool powerful father, you have a girlfriend,I bet you have a bunch of friends and everyone knows your name. You're relevant. Me, my sister, and a whole bunch of other demigods can't say the same."

"You all were supposed to be claimed! I made them promise, it wasn't supposed to still be like this!" I said angrily.

"Even if I was claimed Percy, I'm not sure I'd want to be apart of your family anyways, I heard what they did to you, sent you off to that other camp without your memories and that's why I'm not as bitter as Benji or even my sister is, because with family like yours, who needs enemies." She said as the light turned green and she pressed on the gas.

We spent the rest of the car ride in silence.

* * *

Izzy parked in front of an alley.

"We're here." she said, stepping out of the car.

I followed her and we went straight down the alley, with a dead end.

"Um Izzy.. this is an alley."

I started to wonder if Valerie's airhead jokes were actually true.

Izzy smiled mischievously.

"Hold my hand." She said putting out hers.

"Izzy I told you-"

"Oh for god's sake." She grabbed my hand and then placed her hand on the brick alley wall.

She whispered a phrase in greek and then the brick alley wall started moving.

"Whoa." was all I could say in amazement.

The brick wall opened up to another street filled with people.

I saw satyrs, demigods and other creatures in the long street socializing and shopping at stands.

"Welcome to Beaumont's Alley, named after the son of Hecate who thought of this." she said as we stepped through the brick wall.

She let go of my hand but I forgot I was even holding it, I was still amazed.

"Why are you so amazed, this is straight out of Harry Potter?" She said laughing.

"Who's Harry Potter?"

"You need to get out more."

"This place is humongous, how are we going to find Ja-"

"There he is." she said walking towards a stand where this guy stood with his back turned.

We approached and his back was still turned.

"Hey Jack." Izzy said nervously.

Jack's body straightened and he turned to face Izzy and smiled.

"Hey Izzy." he said scratching the back of his head.

I gasped at his appearance.

While the two engaged in conversation I was in awe.

It seemed to be the same blonde hair and same mischievous blue eyes but an older version of him, maybe this guy was 18 or 19 but the looks were still uncanny.

He looked exactly like Luke.

Jack's eyes drifted to me as if he just noticed I was here.

"I see you brought company." Jack said nodding towards me.

Izzy nodded her head.

"Yeah actually, we need your help."

"Who is this guy."

"Uh, well he's-"

"I'm Percy Jackson." I said boldly.

Izzy shrimped back nervously but Jacks face remained unreadable.

He stared into me as if he was reading my intentions.

"What does he need." Jack said. Izzy gave a sigh of relief.

"Hermes' diamonds." Izzy said carefully.

"You got the money for that?" He asked with no emotion.

"I was hoping you'd give a discount since I'm trying to save the world." I said scoffing. Jacks appearance was still unsettling.

"Not my problem. If you don't have the money I can't help you, sorry Izzy, tell Val I said hi." He said turning his back and went back to doing whatever he was doing.

Izzy sighed.

"Now wait a second." I said gritting my teeth.

"I'm not just trying to save my ass I'm trying to save everyone else's, you think I wanna be here? No I don't, and I certainly don't have time deal with another tricky son of Hermes, you're just like your brother Luke-"

A knife was suddenly pressed against my throat and my shirt collar was now in Jack's other hand.

But I didn't fight back.

"My brother is Benji who's death you are responsible for." Jack said through gritted teeth.

"And I am _nothing_ like that lunatic so don't you ever come to me saying that." he said pressing the knife harder against my throat.

"Jack stop!" Izzy said as her charmspeak poured into her words.

Jack released me and pushed me back.

He stabbed the knife into the table.

"I am _nothing_ like them." Jack said choking on his words as his eyes filled with tears.

Them.

"And I don't give a damn about the world. The world hasn't given a damn about me or Benji so why should I!" he said angrily.

Jacks eyes were filled with pain, pain that he was hiding before.

"But you care about Valerie, and Izzy, and probably everyone else in this place. I'm not on this quest to be the hero Jack, I'm tired of that, I'm here for my mom, my unborn little sister, and every other person that I would sacrifice everything for." I said with my fist clenched.

"Don't do it for me Jack, do it for them."

Jack looked up at me and came around the stand and began to walk towards me.

Izzy stepped forward thinking Jack was coming for round two.

Jack grabbed my wrist and put something in my hand.

I looked down and it was a shiny diamond.

"You are somebody Percy Jackson, and we," he said looking around.

"Are nobodies, but you can do something about it, there's a lot of us that are still mistreated and forgotten. And being forgotten in our world can be deadly." He said.

My mind flew to Pan, who had been forgotten by the world and had faded.

"I will. I swear it on the River of Styx." I said.

A clap of thunder followed.

Jack nodded.

"I failed Benji, I was never around after mom died and that's my fault, but I know he would want me to do the right thing now." Jack said.

"Thank you."

Jack nodded.

"Just crush the diamond beneath your feet and think of where you want to go. I'm not sure how many miles that one has on it but it should get you closer to where you need to be than you are now." Jack said going behind his stand again.

"I guess this is goodbye." Izzy said quietly. She looked down and was shifting her feet.

"No." I said.

She looked up confused.

"You're my new friend Izzy, and one day I'll have a place where you and every other demigod will feel welcome and we will meet again." I said smiling.

She smiled brightly and hugged me.

She pulled back and looked up at me.

"I had a dream a day before you came, I think it was Aphrodite but I wasn't sure till now. She told me to tell you that the apple has been retrieved. I don't know what that means but I'm pretty sure she sent you my way on purpose."

So Jason had found the apple of discord.

I wonder how Annabeth was.

"And she said that your beloved is waiting." Izzy blushed.

I lit up at this.

"Weird how the first time Mom contacts me is to tell me about one of her love projects but." Izzy shrugged but I knew she cared.

"Hey, Aphrodite is.. difficult, but she'll come around, she just has a bizarre way of doing that." I said shrugging.

Izzy nodded.

"You should go." she said lightly.

"Yeah..but we'll meet again, I promise, and um, tell Valerie I'm sorry, for everything."

Izzy nodded.

I took the diamond and dropped it and crushed it, thinking of China.

Then I blinked and I was in a valley.

"Wonder if this is China." I mumbled.

I looked down because I heard something and saw a bunch of guinea pigs at my feet.

I went pale.

"Oh no."

Suddenly I felt a piercing pain in my shoulder as something.. a plant? went through it.

I yelled in pain and my eyes went blurry but I could see the figure in front of me.

Piercing intoxicating green eyes met mine.

"Hello Perseus." The enchanting voice said but her words dropped with venom and hate.

I spit out blood and gritted my teeth.

"Circe."


	15. When Everything You Touch, Crumbles

**When Everything You Touch, Crumbles**

"Circe." I said before wincing at the pain of the plant currently pierced in my shoulder.

I managed to take out Riptide and cut the thick vine.

I looked up to face my enemy.

It was hard to believe that in front of me was Circe because even though she was still intoxicatingly beautiful as goddesses normally were. She had looked nothing like she did before.

Her hair was now choppy and mangled like she had forgotten to do anything with it and her dress was ripped and matted with dirt.

And her eyes.

Her eyes were the most unfamiliar thing about her. Before they were endearing, perfect for luring impressionable demigods.

But now, they seemed desperate and distracted, and a little bit crazy.

"The Fates have finally answered my prayers!" Circe said stalking forward.

As she moved closer to me the grass welted in front of her.

Where am I?

I looked around to see what was near, maybe a creek or river but as I looked around, it was only trees, all dead trees.

My vision faltered.

"Poison." I breathed out. I fell to my knees.

"No hello Percy Jackson? It has been years since our last encounter?" She said as she was only a foot away with me.

I swung Riptide at her with all my might but my body failed me.

"I guess not." she said through gritted teeth.

By the wave of her hand I flung twenty feet against a tree and coughed up blood.

"Wha..What do you want from me.." I managed to say.

I tried to focus, trying to find any water near me but I couldn't feel one drop.

"What do I want!" She said laughing maniacally.

She raised her hand and flung me against another tree.

"I want my magic back! I want my disciples to worship me again! I want you to _die_ for what you did Perseus Jackson." Circe said with hate. She waved her hand again and flung me to a rock.

I felt my left arm crack.

Something there was definitely broken.

"Well you seem to be doing just fine in the magic department." I said trying to stall.

_Father, help me._

"Well yes, that was easy. The naiads and nymphs were already fleeing from what's coming so all I had to do was kill them, and claim their magic, and the forest." Circe said, raising her hands gesturing around her.

I gritted my teeth in anger.

"You killed innocents.. so you could do some magic tricks." I said.

_Aphrodite, if you ever really meant that you liked me, save me._

Circe balled her fist and they became engulfed in green flames. Her eyes gleamed with fury.

"I don't think you understand Perseus." she said as I began to be dragged closer to her. I tried to grab on to something but everything I touched turned to dust.

_Juno, help me._

"When you destroyed my home and left my disciples and I to fend for ourselves you _destroyed_ my source of magic and you left me no choice but to kill those creatures."

Circe was now standing over me holding the green flame in her hand, ready to end me.

_Annabeth, forgive me._

I closed my eyes and wondered if this was a hero's end. If only my life was like my namesakes.

"No.. no I have a better idea." Circe said sinisterly.

She brought me to my feet and had her hand to my throat.

"I curse you Perseus, son of Poseidon."

"No." I said weakly.

"I curse you to never have the pleasure of a happy ending, there will always be another monster lurking the corner and your love ones will constantly be in danger because of you, and you won't be able to save them." She said with an evil stop.

"Don't." I pleaded.

My mouth felt dry as chalk but tasted like copper.

"I curse your children and their children to share the same fate as you, you and all that share your blood will _never_ know peace." she said before pushing her hand on my chest. My chest burned at her touch and I screamed in pain.

She laughed in delight.

I used all my will to take Riptide from my pocket and slash the sorceress in her face.

She howled in pain and toppled over as I fell to the ground.

I try to focus as I pointed Riptide in front of me.

_Concentrate on the water that surrounds you, the water that runs in your body, the moisture in the air,feel loss like water and move your sword with the flow of it_

I remembered Chirons words and tried to focus, I felt the water in my body and the molecules in the air.

"Take me anywhere." I whispered desperately.

The portal appeared and showed a snowy tundra.

Circe screamed in protest as I jumped through the portal.

I fell into the snow and stained it with blood.

My breaths became shallower and shallower before my eyes closed.

* * *

When I opened my eyes I was standing, in a valley.

"Finally, you're here, sure took your sweet time." A male voice said.

I turned around to see a tall blonde guy that was dressed like he was from Ancient Greece.

My breath hitched at how familiar his face was.

"You look like Jason." I said plainly.

The 20 year old nodded.

"Who are you?"

The man laughed lightly.

"I'm Perseus, son of Zeus."


	16. Limbo

**Limbo **

"I thought you were dead." I said blatantly.

Of course my first words to my namesake would be rude.

Perseus smirked and nodded.

"I am." he said and then looked around.

"And so are they." he said.

I looked all around me and seemed like flashes of history happening all around me. I saw people born, fight wars, find love,and then die all in the span of milliseconds.

"Where are we." I mumbled.

"In limbo cousin, you're dying." he said matter of factly.

"Well that's great."

Perseus laughed lightly, he reminded me even more of Thalia.

"So what are you doing here?"

He was about to respond but he then frowned and looked behind him. He unsheathed his sword that I didn't know he had.

"Answers soon cousin, for the now, we have to move."

"Wait why?"

"The Oneiroi, dream spirits, are after us."

* * *

We had now entered a cave and Perseus had started a fire, with what materials I did not know, and then sat on a stone.

I sat on a stone across from him.

I noticed that the flashes were still all around me.

Perseus stared at me in silence with his arms cross as if waiting for me.

He looked like a true son of Zeus.

"Er.. Could you explain why I'm here?" I said shifting on the rock.

"You tell me, you called me from Elysium." Perseus said uncrossing his arms.

"Um no-"

"Please please please if any of the good heroes are around could you please help me out and give me some wisdom or I don't know some power because I'm about to pee in my pants." Perseus said mocking me word for word before bursting out in laughter.

I blushed with embarrassment.

"Is that not what you said cousin?" Perseus said wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I mean yeah but I didn't wanna sit here and get laughed at-"

"Oh don't fret cousin, I am here to lend you some of my wisdom. Now,"

Perseus shifted.

"What is it that you need wisdom on?" he said in his get down to business tone.

It reminded me of Annabeth's. She had used it quite frequently when trying to get me to stay focused.

Gods I miss her.

I thought about what I wanted to ask Perseus.

I knew it was no mistake that he was here. I had always been inspired to be Perseus, or rather his life.

He was son of one of the big three and still had a happy ending, and didn't become as bad as the rest of the gods like Hercules.

That was my question.

"I want to know how you did it, how you got the girl, aced all the quest, and got your happy ending." I said bitterly.

"I want to know how I can get through all of this. I want to know what's going on. Everyone keeps dropping hints on what's happening or what's going to happen and it seems like everyone knows what my future is and I don't even know what it is! Then they tell me everyone else's future plus my one is my hand! How do I pull myself and everyone else through this when I don't know what to do!" I sat standing to my feet in anger that I had know idea I was carrying.

Perseus stared in silence

"There, your fatal flaw, excessive personal loyalty.

But it's now a lot less personal. You carry the world on your shoulders because you think that's your destiny. But your loyalty blinds you cousin." Perseus said as his stormy blue eyes shined as it held the reflection of the fire.

I was expecting a lot more information, more like a guide to how to live a long a successful demigod big three life but instead my own namesake gave me another dose of the fatal flaw mumbo jumbo.

"Tell me cousin, what do you think my fatal flaw is?" Perseus asked curiously.

I remember Annabeth had told me this once.

"Anxiety." I said but then thought back to something.

"But my brother, Chrysaor, said it was arrogance."

Truth be told, it wouldn't be much of a shock if arrogance was Perseus' fatal flaw as a son of Zeus but sitting with him here now, he seemed as humble and easy going as the next guy.

Perseus' eyes lit up in surprise when I said Chrysaor and then he got control of his emotions again.

"Arrogance among others,pride, and like my half brother Hercules my wrath proved to be as fatal as my arrogance,and if you've talked to your brother then you must know the truth, that I am no hero cousin." He said darkly.

"You're kidding!" I said, completely mystified by what he had said.

"You're one of the good ones! You saved your mom, you saved your girl and you lived happily ever after!" I said scoffing.

Perseus shook his head.

"That is not quite how it happened."

Perseus then stood up.

"But I suppose it's better to show you then tell you."

Perseus picked me up by the cuff of my shirt.

"Now hold on a minute-"

I didn't get a chance to fully protest as Perseus threw me into a wall but as I embraced for impact, there was none.

Instead I was now what it seemed to be the sea of memories and history that was all around me.

I saw Paris handing the golden apple to Aphrodite, I saw Thomas Jefferson standing over the Declaration of Independence and I saw my dad, young as ever, holding his trident without a care in the world talking to a beautiful dark haired women, she turned to look at me but before I could see her whole face I was pulled down by my feet until I touched the hard ground.

I opened my eyes and the sun was in them, somehow I was still standing from that tornado of memories and had no urge to barf.

I was in a room, and some version of curtains was wide opened letting the sun spill in.

I motioned my hand to cover the son and it does but to my surprise, the hand was not mine.

"What the hell?" I mumbled in a voice that definitely wasn't mine."

"Perseus!" Someone called. I winced at the use of my whole name.

I turned about to respond but I stopped when I turned to a mirror with a reflection that was not mine.

I had blonde hair tied in a man bun and stormy but striking blue eyes with a glint of assured power and I was wearing a greek tunic that had a lightning bolt brooch on its belt.

"Whoa." I said out loud

I _am _Perseus.


End file.
